Category Archives: Writer Interviews

My Writing Process – Tracy Baines

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I’ve always wanted to write novels, but it felt overwhelming, and to be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to dive into something so all encompassing – so I wrote articles and short stories. I’m so glad I did something – other than procrastinate. I learnt so much from writing short stories: brevity, character, structure and so on. It’s the same skills – you just need more stamina if you’re writing a novel. Gosh, I never knew how draining sitting down all morning could be.

I could always find the time for a short story and it taught me that I could finish things. Finishing is so important. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard people say they’ve got loads of beginnings. If you’re struggling, I’d say choose one thing and keep going until you finish it. My short stories have been published in magazines various magazines in the UK and abroad.

At the moment I’m working on the Christmas with the Variety Girls  – the sequel to The Variety Girls which was published by Ebury Press in February 2020.

I always write straight to my computer but I make a huge amount of notes by hand. I also go back to writing by hand if I get stuck and can’t get the words flowing. I don’t know why it works, but it does. Most mornings I’ll write a page of A4 of free flow. It’s like a warm-up to get the motor running and I find I can express myself more easily when I do this.

Daydreaming is important to me too. I play around with ideas for as much time as I can before I begin to write. I’ll read a lot of books for background details and research, and some of that will inspire a character or a scene. My books are set in the Variety Theatre during WW2 and I love reading books about old theatre and music hall stars to get creative thoughts flowing.

When I start writing I tend to stick with one character and work out what she wants most of all. Then I work out what could stop her getting it. Gradually all the other characters and events start to pop into my head. I make a synopsis, then develop a plan or outline which will change as I go along. It’s like having a road map. I can take detours here and there, but I always have a road to go back to. I’ve found this stops me from panicking about where I need to go next.

I try to work for a few hours each morning, actually writing, but I’m thinking about it most of the time. I might work in the evening if I’ve had a disrupted day. I tend to write more when I’m past the middle point. Some days are better than others. But if I’m having a bad day I’m happy as long as I get something down that moves the story forward. I know I can always go back and fix it. Again, the short stories helped me because I am not afraid of deleting huge parts of text to get to the nub of the story

Early in my career I was lucky enough to be mentored by Margret Graham – who also writes as Milly Adams and Annie Clarke. I’ve learnt an enormous amount from her and also from reading her many books. I am loving her latest – Girls on the Home Front series.  She is a superb teacher and if you ever get chance to get to one of her workshops crawl there if you have to. She’s also written two books that are brilliant in explaining things such as show and tell etc. No waffle, just practical advice and instruction – and plenty of exercises. You learn how to write by writing – you have to do the work – but having someone wonderful to mentor you makes such a difference.

Margaret’s explanation of structure took me time to understand. It’s very simple but there is such depth to it. It is foremost in my mind when I sit down to work out my novels: normal world, point of change, a rising arc of tension, crisis point or darkest moment, the slipper test, resolution. If you want to know more I can highly recommend The Writers Springboard. She describes structure so simply.

When the writing’s going well there’s nothing like it. It must be what drugs are like. I forget time and am totally in my little world. And when a character  arrives unannounced and tells you their story. Sublime. The difficult part is maintaining the momentum when the words aren’t flowing. It’s turning up at the desk, day after day, in the hope that this will be the day it all starts making sense.

My advice for other writers would be not to think you’re too old, not clever enough, thin enough, rich enough. Have confidence, work hard but most of all enjoy it. It will shine through in your writing.

the-variety-girls-tracy-baines

The Variety Girls published by Ebury Press £6.99

www.tracybaines.co.uk

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JESSIE CAHALIN ON LIVING THE DREAM

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I first became aware of Jessie when this amazing blog appeared, featuring books in handbags, but it was some time before we met, introduced by the lovely Angela Petch at an RNA conference. There is a certain symmetry between us; she is a Yorkshire author living in Cardiff, and I am a Cardiff author living in Cornwall. That, and the fact she is a wonderfully giving and collaborative person, makes me consider her a Sister Scribe.

 

When I reached my mid forties, I realised my career ambition had overshadowed my creativity.  Stuck on a treadmill of administration, I signed off educational action points for teachers but had not achieved any of my own goals.  Days started at 6am and ended at midnight.  Fuelled with coffee, I survived on very little sleep, but my life-long dream to write a novel haunted me.  A health scare prompted me to grab time for myself and take control of my destiny.

Characters hassled me for years and it was time to set them free in my novel, ‘You Can’t Go It Alone’.  I tapped away on my laptop keyboard for six months; it was fun to finally meet the characters. At times, their behaviour shocked me, but they showed me there is more to life than action planning and policy making. Sophie, a character in the novel, showed me the importance of the simple things in life.  She also made me smile again.

Writing improved my wellbeing, and I wanted to learn more about the craft.  I sought the advice of a professional editor and engaged in cutting, cutting and shaping. Novel completed, I closed my laptop, ticked off one point on my bucket list, and hopped back on to my life. I mused that I would re-read my words again one day.

Unbeknown to me, my husband read the manuscript of ‘You Can’t go It Alone’.  He published the novel, without my knowledge, as he knew I would dilly dally. He threw me into the world of indie publishing.  It shocked me, but I decided to grab the opportunity and make connections with the writing and reading community via a blog and social media.  Initially, the aim of my blog was to share book reviews of all the books that had resonated with me over the years. I named the blog Books in my Handbag as all my books are on the kindle, in my handbag.

Playing on the theme of handbags, I tweeted photos of my novel in my handbag. Overwhelmed with the positive comments about the photo, I realised it would be fun to ask authors to send their photos. I developed the Handbag Gallery to showcase the authors’ books and provide a unique boost to the marketing of hundreds of authors. I now have almost fourteen thousand followers on Twitter, and the photos of book in handbags are always a hit.

The Handbag Gallery connected me to lots of authors, and they have supported me with the writing process and promotion.  With pearls of wisdom from indie and traditionally published authors and hard work, I achieved bestseller rankings across UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  I was third in contemporary women’s fiction in Canada. The day my book was placed beside Margaret Atwood, I felt as if the stars had aligned.

Last year, I moved beyond virtual connections with authors reached out to the Romance Novelists’ Association. It is wonderful to meet with authors in the local RNA chapter and became a member of the New Writers’ Scheme.  I don’t know what the future holds for ‘Loving You’ because I am exploring benefits of the traditional and indie publishing routes.  I have started my third novel and have been offered opportunities to write articles in magazines My experience shows you do have to speculate to accumulate.  I am celebrating three years of my blog and living the dream in writerly heaven. Moreover, I have taken control of my health and wellbeing.

Wishing everyone the strength to follow their dreams.

 

Visit Jessie’s website at http://www.JessieCahalin.com    or follow her on Twitter @BooksInHandbag

MILLY JOHNSON ON WINNING THE RNA’S OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

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Sunday Times Bestselling Author Milly Johnson on winning this prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award and what the Romantic Novelists’ Association means to her. 

I cannot tell you how delighted I was to receive an email telling me that I was being given the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award this year – this very special 60th anniversary year too.  It was one of those ‘pinch-yourself’ moments: how was it that me, a northern bird with no industry connections, who always wanted to be an author but never really thought it would be possible, was getting this accolade? It made me quite reflective of all the years between those moments and I realised

Credit: Chris Sedgewick

how much hard work I’d done to be published and stay published. I was never under any illusion that getting a book out there would bring me instant fame and fortune but still, there was never anything I wanted to do as much as hold a book, written by me with my name on the cover. And here I am published, and actually selling a few copies as well.  I never get blasé about it, it’s a thrill every time to see my name on a new book, to see it out there in the wild.

I have grafted, gone above and beyond the call of duty as you do for something you want with all the fibre of your being. I remember reading an early Carole Matthews book, loving her work, looking up to her, wanting to be published like she was, promoting her to status of goddess in my head and then a few years later she was my pal and we had the same agent. I remember well that longing to be ‘one of the chosen’ and so I can easily put myself in the shoes of those who are looking at me and imagining themselves published one day.  If they want it hard enough, and put the work in, and if one agent rejects them, and they move on to the next never taking a no as the final answer, then one day that call will come to say they’ve got a deal. Then the hard work begins. I used to equate that first publishing deal with the pinnacle of Everest, but it’s not even Base Camp. And often in this job, writing the book is the easiest part!

I am so looking forward to the evening. I have many friends there shortlisted for an award that it is sure to be a jolly one, and my plus one for the evening is my best novelist pal Debbie Johnson, because you need someone who understands the intricacies of this crazy job, to trust with all your niggles and to act as a sounding board when you feel like screaming because you’ve had the worst review ever written by anyone. And you are there for them when the reverse happens. A bit of kindness in this game goes a long, long way. And it’s always the best Karma to pay it forward.

I joined the RNA when I was published, not before. I was quite adamant that’s the way I’d do it and what a misguided fool I was! Had I joined before I would have benefitted from so much inspiration and guidance, I would have had so many more writer friends to mix with rather than do it all alone. I missed out on help and fun and a lot of Prosecco. But join I did eventually and it was one of the best investments I made becoming part of the association. I encourage any other writer not to follow in my footsteps as far as my stubbornness goes, but to join as soon as you can and take advantage of the wealth of wisdom its ‘fabulousness of authors’ has to share.

 

My One True North by Milly Johnson is published on 5th March by Simon and Schuster and is available to pre-order now. 

 

SISTER SCRIBES: KITTY WILSON ON WRITING A SERIES

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When I wrote the first book in The Cornish Village School I had initially intended for it to be a stand-alone. The thought of turning it into a series wasn’t something that had occurred to me, not for one moment. But my publisher suggested that this was a great idea and I happily agreed. Being a self-flagellating writer type – many of us are –  I was astonished at the suggestion that readers would want to read about Penmenna School more than once but was very willing to do as I was told (such a good girl). I was worried though about what I would write about, how many single teachers can one small school have?

I am currently finishing writing the fifth and final in the series and have loved every minute of my time in Penmenna. It has expanded from a tale of a headteacher to a series that has embraced the highs and lows of a whole community and I am saddened that this is my last foray into the village. It was my choice but is bittersweet all the same. On the other hand whilst it feels odd to be on the brink of creating a brand-new world – I have inhabited Penmenna for the last three years – it’s exciting too. A whole new blank sheet to fill with whatever and whomever I want.

As a reader, I read the most when I was an adolescent, before the responsibilities of adult life caught up with me and I loved a series, then they were often trilogies. I devoured everything I could find on my mother’s shelves, the Jalna books come to mind, Norah Lofts, and R F Delderfield.

Why did I enjoy reading these books so much? With a series each book feels like returning to good friends. The start of a new book within a series is both comfortable and exciting, you have created a bond with the characters, feel you know them, where they’re going, and it’s exciting willing them on. The end of a book often feels as if it’s come around too soon, you want more time with them, you’re not ready to say goodbye.

The same is true when it comes to writing. Currently I am finishing up Marion’s story. She began in the first book as a velociraptor draped in Cath Kidston and was the ultimate baddie, loathsome. Having a series means I have been able to develop her and turn her into a heroine. I am fully rooting for her now and really hope readers will do the same as her story finishes.

But it’s not all been plain sailing. The tricky thing with writing a series, unless you plan every last detail (and I am a planner), something will come back to bite you. I have had so many plot possibilities pop into my head, have written chapters and then realised I can’t use them because they contradict something miniscule I wrote in one of the other books. So, whilst you know your characters better – a bit like real people – certain things have happened in their world which prevent them from moving on in a way that would be helpful to your current plot. And you have no-one to blame but yourself.

Do keep your eyes peeled for the cover reveal of the final book in The Cornish Village School series, it will be coming on Valentine’s Day and I cannot wait to share it with you.

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JANE WENHAM-JONES ON THE BIG FIVE O

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Following on from the RNA article in Frost last week I’m delighted to welcome Jane Wenham-Jones – novelist, columnist and presenter  – to Sister Scribes today. Thank you, Jane, for answering our many and varied questions.

 

First off the blocks. Plotter or pantser? Or does it vary by what you are writing (short story, novel, ‘how to’ book etc)?  

I started off as a Pantser, but I am now – through bitter experience ha! – a plotter. I plotted my last novel – The Big Five O – fairly forensically as it follows the stories of four different women and I needed to make sure it was balanced and the timeline worked. When I wrote a weekly column, however,  I would often just begin writing and see what came out… And I tend to write articles with just a vague idea of the content. I am on my tenth book as we speak and I have a one-sentence description for each chapter on a sheet beside me, but whether the novel will end up like that is another matter…

What, for you, is the very hardest part of writing?

Getting started. I am such a procrastinator. My son used to say he could always tell when the novel wasn’t flowing because even HIS shelf of the airing cupboard had been tidied…

And what is the most rewarding?

Writing “The End” (There’s nothing like it!!)

Photo credit Bill Harris

What do you see as the greatest success of your writing career? And what was the deepest disappointment?

One came from the other. When the publishing house that took my first two novels didn’t want the third (“too many serious issues”) it felt like the end of the world. I really thought it was all over. But this led indirectly to my writing Wannabe a Writer?, which in turn has led to many opportunities and has apparently, and gratifyingly, helped lots of writers (many of them now more successful than I am!) get published. I now have a patchwork ‘career’ which I love, and all the interviewing I do – I’ve done events with hundreds of top authors and celebs – which brings me great joy, started from one event for that small publisher who took me on for my third novel. As one door closes etc …

As you know, Sister Scribes is all about women writers supporting each other through their writing journeys. Do you have a ‘go to’ bunch of fellow female writers you value and rely on? If so, how did you meet them and how do you support each other?  

The RNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) is a wonderful institution and I have made many terrific friends through it, who have been wonderfully supportive. I email often with Katie Fforde, Judy Astley, Janie Millman, and others and it is good to have someone at the end of a screen who knows what it’s like when one is only capable of pairing the socks…

What are your wishes and ambitions for this year and this decade?

My own chat show anyone?

And finally.  I LOVED the Big 50.  So funny and warm. How do you celebrate big birthdays yourself?

Ah thank you so much x It was fun to write. I love a party but I tend to cower when it comes  to  big birthdays. I spent 40 in a darkened room and ran away for my 50th. But now – having lost people far too young and had a life-threatening illness myself, I think how ridiculous that all was. If I haven’t been crushed by a passing bus by the time I’m sixty, I shall have a ball!

 

The Big Five-O by Jane Wenham-Jones is published by Harper Collins in paperback and in e-book formats. www.janewenham-jones.com @JaneWenhamJones

JANE WENHAM-JONES REFLECTS ON TEN YEARS OF PRESENTING THE ROMANTIC FICTION AWARDS

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One of the most anticipated highlights of Romance Reading Month is when the announcement of the shortlistees for the Romantic Novel Awards is made which this year will be on the 3rd Feb. The awards themselves will be held on 2nd March 2020 at The Leonardo Hotel, Tower Hill, with prizes in nine categories of Romantic Fiction as well as the award for Outstanding Achievement.

Jane Wenham-Jones has hosted the RNA awards since 2011. Here she reflects on ten years of sparkly gowns, celebrity guests and Awarding Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

“It is usually around this time of year that I start spending an inordinate amount of time looking at frocks. When I first presented the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards, it was with Tim Bentinck – David from The Archers – and I wore an over-the-top glittery affair in fuchsia, which set the pattern for the next ten years. In that time, I have got stuck in a dress, had to involve a veritable team to zip me up, and had the formidable Catherine Jones (ex-army) shove an authoritative arm down my front to tape up my cleavage so I didn’t do a Judy Finnegan. Who, as it happens, made the night when she gave out the awards with the lovely Richard Madeley a couple of years later.

Photo credit Marte L Rekaa

The award ceremony is one of the highlights of my year. It is glorious to celebrate the very best in romantic fiction – a massively-selling and important genre that warms hearts worldwide – and uplifting to see the very real joy on the faces of the winners. I usually mispronounce the name of at least one of these and quite often drop my notes, but thanks to our marvellous celebrity guests we laugh on.   I have choked with hilarity with the Reverend Richard Coles, developed a small crush on Barbara Taylor Bradford  and gazed in awe at the beauty and elegance that is Dame Darcey Bussell. Prue Leith, Fern Britton, Alison Weir and Peter James have done the honours too, and were all funny and as hugely supportive as you would expect.

The Romantic Novelists’ Association does much to dispel the image of the romantic author floating in a cloud of pink chiffon dreaming of tall, brooding, macho men sweeping small fluttery females off their delicate size threes and the annual awards are a celebration of the reality and diversity of writing about love, as well as a jolly good excuse to drink lots of champagne. The next one is going to be extra special as it falls in the year this brilliant organisation gets its bus pass. We have a famous guest to hand out the gongs, an exciting new award in memory of the late, great Jackie Collins and more on the various short lists than ever before. I’ve got the dress early. Bring it on and Happy Birthday RNA!”

www.janewenham-jones.com

To celebrate 60 years of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Romance Reading Month will run throughout February #RNA60 #RomanceReadingMonth

Throughout the month the focus will be on different ways that readers can access romantic fiction and will be highlighting different sub-genres and authors as well as supporting libraries during #LoveMyLibraryWeek On Valentine’s Day the RNA will be launching a new Facebook Group, the Romantic Fiction Book Club. The group has been created by a number of RNA members to provide a safe and cosy place for romance lovers to chat about their favourite books. The RNA will also be championing romantic fiction from underrepresented authors. RNA Chairwoman Alison May said, “We have bursaries available for new and mid-career authors from under-represented groups. We invite authors and readers to share their diverse romance novels using the hashtag #RNADiverseRomance.”

If you would like more details about Romance Reading Month or the Romantic Novelists Association then please visit www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES: CASS GRAFTON ON WHY WRITING IS A NEVER-ENDING ADVENTURE

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For me, pursuing a career as a writer is not just a journey; it’s an expedition into a world I’m still discovering. It’s ‘the world inside my head’ meets ‘the world out there’, and they are only on their third date. It seems fair to say, therefore, that I’m not only a writer but also an explorer.

I’ve been published since 2013, a combination of solo and co-writing across seven novels, some indie published and some with a publisher, Canelo Escape. Everything I’ve written so far has had, at its core, a love story —I love romantic storylines.

So, how is my writing career now on its third ‘date’? It’s to do with the genre of romance and the many categories that further define it. I’ve published in two of these ‘sub’ categories: historical romance (Regency era) and time-travel romance. These were the first two ‘dates’, and they went quite well—I’m certainly going to be seeing them again—but for now I’m rather excited about my upcoming third. This date is with contemporary romance.

When I was young, I dreamed of writing love stories, but always in the present day. No breeches and fluttering fans; no flitting to and fro through the centuries courtesy of a charmed necklace. My dream was of writing modern romances—relatable, believable and with characters doing everyday things, but always, ultimately, falling in love.

I’ve been toying with the idea behind The Cottage in a Cornish Cove since the days when my hair was a box-shaped perm, my shoulder pads needed scaffolding to support them and keeping in touch with non-local friends was done by a landline phone or with good old pen and paper.

Although the story I’ve now written bears little resemblance to those initial ideas other than the inciting incident that sets the plot in motion, I view it with the affection of an old friend, one of those worlds inside my head that simply took a long time to emerge and meet the world outside.

So what’s it about, I pretend to hear you cry?

It’s a heart-warming tale of discovering all you never wanted is exactly what you need.

Much of Anna Redding’s happiness as a child came from the long summer holidays spent with an elderly family friend, Aunt Meg, in the charming village of Polkerran.

With Aunt Meg’s passing, Anna is drawn back to the West Country, relocating to the Cornish cove where she was once so happy. Settling into her new life, and enjoying her work for the older, reclusive and—to be honest—often exasperating Oliver Seymour, Anna is delighted when Alex Tremayne, an old crush of hers, reappears in Polkerran and sweeps her off her feet.

The stars finally seem to be aligned, but just as Anna thinks all she’s ever wished for is within reach, a shock discovery reveals she’s living a dream that isn’t hers…

 

As for those other dates, is the adventure over? Definitely not! They are part of my on-going expedition, my journey as a writer, so I won’t be deserting them. Ada Bright (my co-writing partner) and I still have a third time-travel romance up our sleeves, and I have two Regency romances in the works, which I hope to finish soon.

In the meantime, though, if you’re up for a bit of eavesdropping on my third date, come and join us in gorgeous Cornwall, wallow in the quaintness of Polkerran, get to know the locals and fall in love with romance all over again.

The Cottage in a Cornish Cove will be released on 11th February 2020.

 

The Surplus Girls by Polly Heron

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I’ve been excited about The Surplus Girls ever since fellow Sister Scribe Susanna Bavin (writing for Corvus as Polly Heron) told me about the concept over a year ago. It is just such a brilliant idea to write about the lives of these neglected women, living in the aftermath of the first world war, in the form of a series of sagas.

The surplus girls were, quite simply, the women who lost fiancés and boyfriends (or even just potential partners) in the war. Whatever their class they had been brought up to expect marriage and children, but now there were not enough men to go around and they were ill prepared for any other sort of life. Most would need to find gainful employment with little or no training, and all would have to look for other ways to make their lives as fulfilling as possible.

The Surplus Girls is set in the suburbs of Manchester in the early 1920s, with a cast of characters from both working and middle classes. Belinda Layton, a mill worker, lives with her late fiancé’s family and after four years of deep mourning is beginning to feel a little smothered by their kindness and intense grief. Belinda’s own family is even further down the social scale, living hand-to-mouth as her feckless father drinks away what little they have.

When Belinda bumps into her old teacher she hears the term ‘surplus girls’ for the first time and is forced to consider her future, beginning to dream of leaving the mill and working in an office. At first this seems hopeless, but then she is introduced to spinster sisters, Prudence and Patience Hesketh, who have their own reasons for opening a business school for young ladies.

Polly Heron has a rare talent for portraying the atmosphere of a setting with a few carefully selected sentences, which never detract from the pace of the plot. And pacey plot it is, making The Surplus Girls hard to put down.  The detail of the era is there, forming a rich background tapestry, but I never once felt I was bogged down by it. While I could see, hear and breathe the world the characters inhabited, as I reader I was free to enjoy being transported there and immerse myself in their story. And it takes a great deal of skill for an author to achieve that.