Category Archives: Writing

Interview with Under Her Roof Author A.A. Chaudhuri  

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I’m fascinated (and impressed!) by your many high-flying careers. You have been a pro tennis player and a lawyer before becoming a writer. Would you say you’re a Type A person? 

That’s very kind, thank you! I would say I’m a mixture of Type A and B! I am a naturally competitive, driven and disciplined person. I enjoy working hard and putting a hundred per cent into whatever I do. That’s the good side to being Type A! On the downside, I can put a lot of pressure on myself and find it hard to switch off which I know isn’t great for my health and stress levels! Having said that, Type B people are known for their creativity and for being good listeners as well as being quite shy, which fits my personality too, and which is why I never really enjoyed law which was ultimately too dry for me, as well as being the type of cutthroat environment in which the more vocal, pushy personalities tend to flourish!

2. How do you think your past careers influenced your writing?

Although things didn’t work out for me with both tennis and law, both experiences gave me valuable life experience. All writers are great observers of the world around them, and I truly believe the more life experience you have the more authentic and rounded your writing can become, and that you willbe influenced by the people and situations you encounter, even if subconsciously. Both careers made me a stronger, more disciplined, resilient and focused person, which is what you need to be if you’re going to succeed as a writer. I had to be very disciplined playing tennis, and I feel this has helped with my writing in managing my time and making deadlines. The same goes for law which requires a methodical, organised approach and rigorous attention to detail, all of which are necessary traits in crime writing. My first two books in my Kramer & Carver thriller series – The Scribe and The Abduction – are set in the legal world, and Idefinitely drew inspiration for these from my time working in that environment, in terms of the setting, the legal aspects, the culture and the characters! Although I never practised criminal law, The Scribe is largely inspired by my time as a law student at the then London College of Law where I studied and took exams in seven legal subjects, including crime. These subjects form a crucial part of the plot, with the murderer killing in line with a pattern corresponding with the legal syllabus. Also, although none of my books feature characters based solely on any of the people I came across whilst playing tennis or practising law, there’s no doubt I’ve drawn inspiration from some of them. I tend to write about the darker side of human nature, and I definitely came across some of life’s more ruthless, dubious characters both as a tennis player and a lawyer!

3. Can you tell us about your publication journey?

My journey was not unlike that of most writers: long, arduous, at times soul-destroying, but ultimately rewarding! I started writing in 2010, andended up self-publishing a couple of women’s fiction novels in 2012/2013 having had no luck getting an agent. It took me five years to get my agent, Annette Crossland (in that time I had a rather upsetting agent experience which very nearly broke me!), and then another three years to get my first publisher, Lume Books. This, despite working non-stop on my books for eight years, editing and refining them until I practically knew them off by heart and had almost given up hope they’d ever see the light of day. I’ve faced a lot of rejection over the years, come close to offers from several of the big five publishers (which can sometimes be more heart-breaking than a straight ‘no’) and shed numerous tears during that time. But I kept going, kept honing and refining my books, hoping that one day I’d catch a break. I know that my story is no different to hundreds, if not thousands of authors out there. Writing is a tough, competitive business, and you need a thick skin to cope with the inevitable setbacks you will encounter along the way. The overnight successes are few and far between and you can’t let the turndowns get to you.Being a highly subjective industry, with so many variables, getting a publishing deal is akin to winning the lottery! When my Kramer and Carver books were published in 2019, nine years after I first started writing, it was such a great feeling knowing my work was finally out there being read! Then, in February 2021 I signed a deal for two psychological thrillers with Hera Books, and I suppose you could call the first of those – She’s Mine – my breakout book. It’s funny to think it was the eighth book I’d written (back in 2017) in all the time I was trying to get published, and took three years of submitting to get picked up. I am so grateful to Keshini Naidoo for loving She’s Mine and having faith in me. Hera have been fantastic to work with, and I suppose having struggled for so long to get my foot in the door it made me appreciate even more the incredible opportunity to work with such a phenomenal editor like Keshini. Having struggled for so long, it’s also rather incredible to think I have just finished my fifth psychological thriller for Hera, and for this I owe so much to my agent, Annette Crossland, who never stopped believing in me. Her support really kept me going through the ups and downs, as did immersing myself in my writing. I’d strongly advise all aspiring authors to start the next book when on submission. Like any skill, the more you write, the better you become at your craft, and you never know, the next book you write may just be the one that gets picked up. Writing also helps you to stop constantly checking the inbox for that magic ‘yes’!

4. You have written a lot of books. Which one is your favourite?

I would have to say that of all seven, Under Her Roof is my favourite so far, closely followed by She’s Mine. I think She’s Mine is unique in the way it is written from nine perspectives – which is quite a tricky thing to manage (!) and I’m quite proud of the twists, especially the end twist which no one has guessed so far. I suppose Under Her Roof tips the balance because of the creepy, claustrophobic vibe I’ve hopefully managed to generate, and which I feel really typifies the classic psychological thriller. Being stalked is something I think most of us fear, and is a subject I feel lends itself well to the tension, and mind games that exemplify this genre.This book is also a change from my other psychological thrillers in that there are largely only two points of view, and I really worked hard on the characterisation and chemistry between Seb and Adriana, both of whom are probably my most sympathetic of protagonists to date. Not only do they share an artistic connection, they are also drawn to one another by their mutual loss and grief. Both perfect examples of what we all are as human beings – fallible. Two people with troubled pasts and terrible secrets that haunt and entangle them in a never-ending cycle of sadness, guilt and fear. I hope this makes them more likeable and sympathetic, particularly when they find themselves at the mercy of the person who’s watching and tormenting them, and whose intentions remain unclear.

5. You have an amazing career. What are your future writing ambitions?

Like most writers, it would be a dream come true to see a book of mine adapted into a TV series or a film. Many readers have said my books would adapt well to the screen, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for that wish to come true one day! Obviously, it would be amazing to have a Sunday Times bestseller, while winning a prestigious writing award is also a long-held ambition of mine. More than anything, though, I just hope I can keep on producing high quality addictive books that entertain and bring people joy. I’d also like to finish and see published the third in my Kramer and Carver series, and find a publisher for two standalone action thrillers I wrote back in 2013 and 2016, featuring gutsy female lawyer lead protagonists. I’m really proud of those books and it would be wonderful if they could see the light of day.

6. I loved Under Her Roof. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind it?

Thank you. I like to write about ordinary people and everyday situations we can all relate to in our own lives, but which necessarily take a darker turn. Thrillers are, after all, about what goes wrong! The relatability is what makes the psychological thriller genre so compelling, with the landlord/tenant relationship being a perfect example of this, and one I felt inspired to write about. Many of us will have been tenants at some point in our lives, some of us even Landlords, and in fiction this set-up has the potential to take a particularly dark turn because often, each party will be a total stranger to the other, thereby evoking all sorts of frightening scenarios in the Machiavellian minds of thriller authors like myself! ‘Stalking’ is another ‘real’ issue I was keen to explore. Rather sadly, it’s something you often read about in the newspapers these days, but at the same time, there’s something strangely compelling about it, probably because it’s so creepy and something we all fear. Likewise, living in a world where we freely and religiously expose our lives to perfect strangers on social media, along with the idea of ‘Big Brother’ watching, I thought it would be intriguing to weave this into a Landlord/Tenant story and the sheer feeling of powerlessness, claustrophobia, panic and fear it can induce.

In terms of setting, I was inspired to choose Hampstead to base the book in, having lived in the North West London area for over a decade, first as a student and then later when I became a lawyer and, later still, a mother. Although I could never in my wildest dreams have afforded to live in Hampstead, I remember taking long winter walks around Hampstead Heath with my flatmates in my student days, marvelling at the area’s mansions with their stately gates, and then in later years pushing my son around in his buggy with my NCT friends. It’s a very quaint, pretty, affluent part of London, where a person should feel incredibly safe. But of course, this is not the case for my two main characters – Seb and Adriana – and therein lies the dramatic irony I wanted to convey. The idea that appearances can be deceiving, and that just because you live a beautiful house in an extremely wealthy area, you aren’t necessarily safe! 

7. I also adored The Final Party and it was set in glamorous Italy. What other locations do you have your eye on for future books? 

Thank you! I always wanted to write a thriller set abroad. For one, it’s nice to be able to transport myself and my readers to another country, preferably somewhere hot and idyllic (!) especially when the weather is bad here. Basing a thriller in a sublime setting can often prove more impactful because the characters are not necessarily anticipating danger or threat but rather, a blissful, stress-free escape, only to find themselves thrown into nightmarish circumstances, often in isolated locations, thereby ramping up the tension and intrigue! I chose Sorrento because it’s an area I’m very familiar with, having holidayed there many times as a child and got married there. I’ve visited other parts of Italy too – it’s hands-down my favourite country – and I’d love to set a book somewhere like Venice or Rome because they are such fascinating, beautiful cities, with a myriad of amazing landmarks and places to hide, not to mention a labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets to be chased down! Sadly, though, I fear Dan Brown got there first! I travelled all over the world playing tennis, and many of those locations would also make for interesting settings, as would India where my father is from, and with which I share a strong affinity.

8. You explore the dark side of human nature. What draws you to it?

Because it’s fascinating, albeit in an unnerving way! When I think about psychological thrillers, the words dark, sinister and twisty come to mind, along with a feeling of dread, tension and constant suspense, and not being able to trust what you’re being told. This is largely why I’m drawn to write about the dark side of human nature – by definition it helps fulfil those elements we deem the hallmarks of a good psychological thriller in a way writing about people’s good side would not! Focussing on people being kind and honest with each other would be far less interesting than having characters who lie and keep secrets from each other, the latter being a situation which leads to feelings of guilt, shame and conflict and which in turn, ramps up the tension. After all, readers want to feel intrigued and on edge, not comfortable! I love the way psychological thrillers explore the psychology of the human mind, how and why seemingly good and law-abiding people can commit the most heinous of crimes, whether it stems from their upbringing, or a particular wrong that’s been done to them. They prompt us to consider the darkness in ourselves as well as others. As fallible human beings we are all susceptible to the darker side of human nature – sentiments like envy, lust, greed, revenge – and I love to explore this phenomenon through issues, relationships and situations we can all relate to, and feel a connection with. Themes like friendship, marriage, motherhood – ones that strike at the core of human existence and therefore cut close to the bone.

9. What is your writing routine?

As mentioned, I’m quite a disciplined, focussed person by nature, and routine is important for me as far as my writing goes. I get up at 6.30 a.m., drop both my sons off to the bus stop around 7.15 a.m. Then I come back home, have breakfast and do some form of exercise for around an hour. I guess exercise is something that’s very much ingrained in me since my tennis days, but now it’s more important to me from a mental health perspective. It helps relieve any stress I might have and gets my brain in gear for the writing day ahead! Then, bar any appointments/errands I might have, I’ll sit down at my desk and barely move except for tea and lunch breaks, until it’s time for the boys to come home around five. If I’m in the middle of writing a book, I’ll try to get at least 2,000 words down. If I’m editing, I’ll spend all day working on that. In short, my time will be devoted to either working on my current book, doing book promotion/articles like this, or editing/researching, or a mixture of everything! I’ll invariably do a bit more work once the boys are back from school and settled but unless I’m under pressure to meet an editing deadline I rarely work beyond 7.30/8 p.m. because that’s have dinner and collapse in front of the sofa with a great thriller/drama series time! I would rather make up the time on weekends than work into the night. I did enough of that as a lawyer and, in any case, I am much more productive in the day!

10. What advice do you have for other writers? 

Become a writer because it makes you happy and you can’t imagine doing anything else! Rejection is inevitable in this industry – overnight successes are few and far between – so you really have to LOVE writing and must never stop believing in yourself else the turndowns will break your spirit. If you have talent and work hard, you will get there. You may not become a Sunday Times bestseller but you will get published, and people will eventually read your books, which is the greatest feeling, as is the first time you get to hold your published novel. Writing is a highly subjective business, and you need a thick skin to cope with the inevitable rejections, setbacks and criticism you will encounter along the way. It’s important to surround yourself with people who believe in you, as well as you believing in yourself. Also, focus on perfecting your craft and write what comes naturally to you, rather than writing what you think is on trend. It has to come from the heart, rather than a forced process readers will see through and therefore leave you open to criticism. Make sure you read widely too, as you can learn so much from other writers, and be inspired by them. It’s also a good idea to be active on social media, not just as a means of connecting with the reading and writing community, but because it’s an invaluable way of getting your name and work out there. I’d also advise asking other people you trust to read your work because it’s so easy to get so caught up in your story, you lose perspective, and so having the benefit of a neutral eye can prove invaluable. In terms of submissions, I’d say do your research and tailor them accordingly, be polite and make sure you have a strong hook for your novel that will make it stand out in a crowded market. Practically speaking, when it comes to writing your book, I’d advise aspiring writers to focus on finding a time and place that works for them as everyone is different. Wherever and whenever you choose to write, it’s important to cut out distractions, to get the nuts and bolts of your book down, then go back and refine! The most important thing is having a basis you can work off, with the finessing coming in the second and third draft. 

Interview With In the Shadows of Love Author Awais Khan

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  1. When did you first want to become a writer?

Funnily enough, it didn’t happen until I was in my late teens. I have always been a lifelong reader, but it wasn’t until I was in college in Canada that I finally realized that publishing was actually an industry (we don’t have a publishing industry in Pakistan). I started to look – really look – at how the industry worked and that started inspiring me to write my own book. I started seeing myself as a published author. 

  1. You live in Lahore. How does that inspire your writing?

Lahore is in every aspect of my writing. I think, feel and breathe Lahore. There’s a popular saying in my part of the world ‘One who has not seen Lahore has not been born’, so you can quite imagine the kind of impact this city has on my writing. Lahore features heavily in all my books, and it wasn’t until I started writing Someone Like Her, which is partly set in London, that I realized how easy it was for me to write about Lahore, because I really struggled to bring London to life in my novel. Having said that, I have a very complicated relationship with my city. Just like in any relationship, there are good days and bad days, but I would be lying if I said that the city didn’t inspire my writing. Lahore is the very essence of me. Lahore is like for me as Paris was like for Ernest Hemingway – a moveable feast.

  1. You have written four novels now. Do you feel like a veteran now?

Hardly. If anything, I feel like things are getting more and more difficult. People tell me that I’ve made it, but they don’t know just how terrified I really am most of the time about failing. With each book, reader expectations rise, and after a point, the pressure sort of gets to you. However, while the insecurity never really goes away – it shouldn’t really, as it keeps us grounded – I have to say that I am getting slightly more confident about my writing. I may be having doubts, but somewhere at the back of my mind, there’s a small voice that says, ‘You’ve written something good. All it needs now is that one big push, that one final edit.’

  1. How did your first success come as a writer?

Success depends on one’s definition of success. Success can be selling a million copies of your book, but success can also be critical acclaim or positively impacting the life of even one reader. I first started writing In the Company of Strangers back in 2012, but it wasn’t until 2019 that it was published. During that time, I amassed a significant social media following, and since I naturally love to support my fellow authors, by the time my debut came out, it was an instant success with everyone I knew clamouring to buy a copy to support me in turn. The book went into reprint before it was officially out and also ended up becoming a national bestseller in Pakistan. However, it wasn’t until No Honour was published that I understood what it was like to be reviewed in major UK publications, and perhaps it was the topic, but No Honour ended up doing phenomenally well everywhere. In many ways, it was bigger than In the Company of Strangers. 

  1. What’s your writing routine?

My writing routine is all over the place. I suffer from writer’s block a lot when I’m in Lahore, and have frequently flown to London in the past just to finish writing my book. Being a writer in Lahore is not easy. Since there isn’t a publishing industry here as such, the environment here isn’t conducive for writing. A lot of people here disregard your efforts as a writer, thinking that whatever you’re doing has no value. All of it affects your self-esteem and motivation. Despite all of that, I try to be regimental about my writing, spending a few hours in my favourite café in Gulberg five days a week. It does bring some structure to my day and allows me to complete writing tasks that would just get delayed or put off otherwise. When in London, I like to write early in the morning and then in the afternoon too, preferably in a favourite café of mine. 

  1. Do you have a favourite of your books?

I feel that just like kids (not that I have any), one cannot have a favourite book. I’ve spent a lot of time with each of my books and they’ve all uniquely contributed towards my journey as a writer. However, if forced to choose, I would probably say No Honour, because I spent over three years researching and writing that book and it remains very close to my heart. 

  1. Tell us about The Writing Institute. 

I set it up back in 2016 when I realized that there were absolutely no creative writing courses available in Pakistan. Initially, a lot of people laughed at me, saying that nobody would be interested in something like this, that writers didn’t even exist in Pakistan. Yes, my courses did struggle at first, but as word got around, more people started joining them and since then, over 10,000 people have taken courses with The Writing Institute. Today, the institute prides itself on providing the best online and in-person creative writing courses in Pakistan at the most affordable prices imaginable. 

  1. What is your top creative writing tip?

My top tip for any aspiring writer is to never give up. This is a very subjective industry, and what works for one would probably not work for another. Never stop believing in yourself. Deep down, we know just how good our work really is. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If someone is giving you proper critical feedback that can be used, then listen to them, but if someone is disparaging your work just for the sake of it, don’t listen to them. Similarly, be very wary of people who praise your work to high heavens. Just believe in yourself, in your talent, and don’t let the rejections get you down. Have the skin of an alligator’s. 

  1. Tell us about your new book.

I am very excited about my next book called In the Shadows of Love. It is the sequel to my debut In the Company of Strangers. The story moves twelve years into the future and Mona is now in her early fifties. She and Bilal have weathered the storm of infidelity, with Bilal embracing the son Mona had from her affair. Although on the outside, it seems that Mona has everything, and that every single day of hers is the same, with glittering parties and society events, things are not how they seem. Her perfect world is forever changed when the first message arrives. Will the secrets of Mona’s past threaten her future, her marriage and even her life?

In the Shadows of Love will be published by Hera Books in October, 2024. 

  1. What’s next for you?

I have recently finished writing my first thriller, tentatively titled Her Sister’s Secret. We don’t get to see a lot of thrillers coming out of Pakistan and I really wanted to write one that explored themes of sibling rivalry, guilty secrets and toxic marriages. The story centres around Maria and Sohaib who seem to have everything they could ask for, but behind the perfect façade, their marriage is toxic and when Maria’s sister, Fareena, comes to visit, everything goes awry. 

Monica Ali, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Claudia Piñeiro & Jamie Smart to attend The London Book Fair

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The London Book Fair (LBF) is always a highlight of the publishing calendar. They have revealed the Authors of the Day line-up for the 2025 Fair, which will feature: best-selling novelist and chair of judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 Monica Ali as Adult Author of the Day; Argentine novelist and screenwriter Claudia Piñeiro, who was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, as International Author of the Day; the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2024-2026) Frank Cottrell-Boyce as Children’s Author of the Day; and comics artist and British Book Awards winner Jamie Smart as the first ever Creative of the Fair.

Monica Ali (credit Yolande De Vries)
Claudia Piñeiro (Alejandra López

Adam Ridgway, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “We are delighted to reveal our first author line-up for LBF25, which is set to be an incredible showcase of UK and global publishing, as well as the first major international book industry event of 2025. From an International Booker shortlistee to the Waterstones Children’s Laureate, and from Sunday Times best-selling authors to the first ever Creative of the Fair, we couldn’t be prouder to bring such an array of talent to our 2025 Fair. We are really looking forward to welcoming Claudia, Monica, Frank and Jamie to Olympia next year, and we can’t wait to hear their insights at their in-conversation events.”

Claudia Piñeiro said: “I am very honoured and excited to be able to take part in the 2025 London Book Fair and especially to have been invited as an International Author of the Day. I am very aware of the significance of The London Book Fair and of the magnitude of the events that take place. The London Book Fair’s international focus is extremely important. For me, receiving feedback from readers globally teaches me a great deal, as it shows how my stories are read and interpreted in different societies. This, for me, is extremely enriching.”

Monica Ali said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed Adult Author of the Day and can’t wait to return to LBF after a very long absence. I think the last time I was there was back in 2006, so I’m curious to find out how it’s changed since then. What I do know is that there’s no better place to connect with publishers from around the globe, and to meet writers and readers. I’m excited to be part of an event that celebrates talent and creativity and highlights the importance of books in our cultural landscape.”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce said: “I’m delighted to be the Children’s Author of the Day at The London Book Fair 2025, which is gearing up to be another vibrant celebration of international publishing. Writing and reading has transformed my life, and I have written children’s books for more than twenty years because I think they help build the apparatus of happiness inside us. In my role as the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, I’ve launched the ‘Reading Rights’ campaign in partnership with BookTrust, calling for national provision so that every child – from their earliest years – has access to books, reading and the transformative ways in which they improve long-term life chances. I’m looking forward to joining the LBF audience in London next year to cherish what reading together means, and what – as an industry – we can bring to families.”

Jamie Smart said: “I’m thrilled to be the first ever Creative of the Fair at LBF25, what an honour! It’s my first ever London Book Fair so I’m really excited to throw myself into it, meet everyone, and share everything I can about comics and comic-making with anyone who’d like to listen!”

Claudia Piñeiro is best known for her crime novels, which are bestsellers in Argentina, Latin America and around the world. As an author and scriptwriter for television, she has won numerous national and international prizes, including the Pepe Carvalho Prize, the LiBeraturpreis for Elena Knows and the prestigious Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize for Las grietas de Jara (A Crack in the Wall). Many of her novels have been adapted for the big screen, including Elena Knows (Netflix), which was also shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.

Monica Ali is a bestselling author, whose work has been translated into 26 languages. Her debut novel, Brick Lane, was Booker-shortlisted and subsequently turned into a movie. Her subsequent novels include In the Kitchen, Untold Story, and most recently, Love Marriage, which was a Sunday Times bestseller. As a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature she has judged numerous literary prizes, and chaired the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Since 2020, she has been Patron of Hopscotch Women’s Centre, a charity dedicated to empowering women from minority backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an award-winning children’s author, screenwriter and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2024-2026). Millions, his debut children’s novel, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Frank’s other books include Cosmic, Framed, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, Runaway Robot, Noah’s Gold andThe Wonder Brothers, and have also been shortlisted for a multitude of prizes. In 2023 he launched The Island of Brilliant! podcast with Nadia Shireen, celebrating children’s writing and illustration. Frank’s new novel, The Blockbusters!, illustrated by Steven Lenton, will be published on 15 May 2025 by Macmillan Children’s Books.

Jamie Smart was named Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards 2024, and won Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year for Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up. His comic Fish-Head Steve was the first comic to be shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Jamie has illustrated comics for The Sunday Times, the Dandy and the Beano. His well-loved Bunny vs Monkey and Looshkin stories are regularly published in The Phoenix comic, and as bestselling graphic novels.

The Authors of the Day and Creative of the Fair will take part in ‘In Conversation’ events on different days throughout The London Book Fair. Claudia Piñeiro will be attending the fair on Tuesday 11 March, Monica Ali and Jamie Smart will appear at events on Wednesday 12 March, and Frank Cottrell-Boyce will be speaking on Thursday 13 March. Full details of these sessions will be announced shortly. 

The London Book Fair (LBF) is the world’s largest spring book trade and publishing event and will return to its home at Olympia London from 11 – 13 March 2025.

Further details about The London Book Fair registration and line-up will be revealed in due course and will be available at this page. The full programme for The London Book Fair 2025 will be announced early next year.

www.londonbookfair.co.uk

NELL DIXON SHARES HER INSPIRATION FOR THE MISS UNDERHAY SERIES

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For the last two years I’ve been living full-time in Devon in a small fishing village. If anyone is unfamiliar with the area, it is a particularly beautiful place with sandy beaches, wide rivers, green farmland and historic and lovely towns and villages. Thatched cottages abound in a chocolate box setting. The Miss Underhay series is set in and around Torbay during the 1930’s. Torquay was the birthplace of Agatha Christie so clearly this is a landscape to inspire crime writing!

The world my intrepid amateur sleuth, Kitty Underhay inhabited in 1933 would be familiar to her today despite some damage done by the second world war and over enthusiastic building works in the 1960’s. Punctuating the landscape are several beautiful and unique buildings. All of which feature in or have inspired scenes in the series. Landscape has always been important to me as a writer. I’ve always been fascinated by the built environment and the human stories that are told through both the building and the spaces between them.

One such building is the now sadly neglected Pavilion theatre in Torquay, a gorgeous art deco affair on Torquay seafront. Set amidst green space and flowerbeds, in the twenties and thirties it hosted operas and a beautiful tearoom. It was the place to see and be seen. This was also a building familiar to Dame Agatha Christie. Hopefully it will take its place again soon as one of Torquay’s jewels.

Another favourite building is run by the National Trust, tucked away down a country lane on the way from Torquay to Dartmouth. Coleton Fishacre is a gem of a jazz age country retreat. Once the summer home of the D’Oyly Carte family, it’s set in beautiful gardens that lead to the sea. A wonderful cream tea can be enjoyed, and the house is one of the loveliest places to visit.

In nearby Dartmouth, the inspiration for Kitty’s home is York House. A black and white half-timbered building, it’s easy to picture Kitty and her grandmother running their hotel there. Dartmouth itself is full of amazing buildings, from the medieval Dartmouth Castle which guards the mouth of the river estuary to the Butter walk, a colonnaded stone walkway housing shops and tea rooms. The Butter walk was damaged in the Second World War but has been so well repaired that you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Dartmouth is also home to another incredible building, St Saviour’s Church. Listed as one of the best 100 churches in England, it was constructed around 1372, and underwent significant restoration in 2014 to preserve it for future generations. It has magnificent medieval wooden doors, heavily carved with gryphons and supported on huge iron hinges.

Another building that sums up the spirit of Torbay in the jazz age is a mansion owned by the local council which is now coming back to life. Oldway mansion in Paignton was home to the Singer family, a name known to anyone with an interest in sewing. Oldway mansion was modelled on the Palace of Versaille and the interior is a magnificently painted masterpiece. During the first world war it was a hospital for injured American servicemen and went on to become a country club. The house is currently closed to the public, but the beautiful grounds can be enjoyed by anyone and there is a lovely tearoom. It’s easy to picture Hercule Poirot strolling in the grounds.

As well as the places listed above there is also Greenway House, Dame Agatha Christies’ own home, which is well worth a visit.

Helena Dixon’s latest release in the best-selling Miss Underhay series is Murder at the Highland Castle available as ebook, audiobook or paperback https://www.nelldixon.com

From self publishing to Penguin Random House without an agent: A Writing Journey By Ivy Ngeow

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Pitching to Penguin after being signed to small publishers and being self-published.

Beginnings: I had not planned to be an author. I grew up believing that books were written by others, not me, for us to enjoy. Three or four events in my life, like special occasions, led me to “think” I was a writer. I was raised in a rich environment of stories, via my mum, my aunts, my grandparents, my dad, my teachers. I enjoyed hearing them so much that I also began telling them. I had a little burst of success as a 16-year-old in a national short story writing competition with the New Straits Times. I felt that indescribable buzz when I saw my byline among 30 highly-commended entries. 

The hotel rooms: As a university student and an adult, I wrote nothing. I only started when I started travelling for work in hospitality and resort design. I was in hotel rooms and airports a lot. I learned that I really valued and enjoyed observation and being alone, which of course, are the prerequisites of the writing life. I was surprised to be flooded with ideas which had nothing to do with work. I began writing again because as you know, you don’t need any fancy tools or equipment. In those days, I printed and posted my stories from airports, or the nearest post office to the hotel. This period led me to believe I had again some chance of success because I was getting accepted by the Sunday magazines. One story was bought and broadcast by the BBC World Service. I had meetings with agents in Soho back in London, which led to nothing but an inkling that my writing was getting attention, any attention. I took writing more seriously when I invested in an MA in Writing at Middlesex University. As you know it’s not free, so I was taking a big chance but I was working and it paid for the fees. I was astonished to discover that I won the Middlesex University Literary Prize in an international competition, a cash award large enough to cover a third of my fees. The judge was Penelope FitzGerald and about my story, she said she had never read anything like it in her life. 

The agent: I was snapped up by an agent immediately following the prize, a decision that was poor. I had no other offers. After 5 years, she did not get me a deal despite my writing not one but two novels for her to market. I did not write a word for 10 years. My writing stayed on my hard drive. It was deliberate. I had two children whom I wanted to give 120% of my attention. After 10 years and they were in primary school, I started submitting the novel again, and following 87 rejections I won a prize in Hong Kong, also a large cash prize. This novel, my debut, Cry of the Flying Rhino, was the turning point for me, because I now was an author. My entire family flew out to Hong Kong for the award ceremony and the publication. It was a small publisher, like my second novel’s, Heart of Glass.

The pandemic: Following the two novels with small publishers which were given zero marketing and publicity and unsurprisingly, hardly earned any royalties, I started to wonder if indeed they had even been published. I wrote another, Overboard. I got 50 rejections and I decided to start an imprint to publish it as I consider it to be my best book yet. I think my limit for rejections is now 30. I do think there is a limit otherwise you will be querying until you die. I don’t think I have the time or the patience to withstand 87 rejections like I did with the first, and 55 with the second. There’s no point and nobody cares. It’s an art form. It’s not a pizza which is edible and sort of OK even when bad. During the 2-3 years of the pandemic. I ate, sleep, wrote, published. Repeat. It was like a bumper sticker. 

Keep going: I did online courses on self-publishing, keywords, genres and copywriting to study the market. I cannot stress how important it is for a writer. Without knowing the market and the audience, you can’t pitch. I learned to write through editing other people’s work and through reading hundreds of books in the genres I was interested in. The MA will not teach you these skills. My objective had always been to write the best book that could write. This kept me going in the lockdown years. I published a couple more, short stories, and another novel, White Crane Strikes.

Perfect pitch: A famous author, unfortunately I forget who, said that if you cannot tell your story in 17 words, you don’t know your story. That intro letter, one-page synopsis and first paragraph in your manuscript is everything. I wrote The American Boyfriendin November 2021 which I decided I would query until that magic self-imposed 30 rejections before I would publish it myself. I would trade the complete control and higher royalties in self-publishing for a traditional deal because of the connections. By the time I started querying again post-pandemic, I had already distilled my book to the most grabby Netflix 40-word synopsis. I saw a window of open submissions from Penguin Random House Southeast Asia. I was just about to release my book, because I got to 27 rejections. 9 months after querying, in August 2022, I got the best email ever. It was from Penguin and consisted of 5 words: has this manuscript been acquired? 

Worldwide connections: The worldwide connections have been the most astounding and rewarding part of the publishing experience. Having a publicist was already mind-blowing as I had never had one before with self-publishing (that would be me) or with the small publishers I had been with (that would be no one). 

The Penguin publicity, marketing and sales team have opened doors from day one: no. 1 Sunday Times authors providing the cover endorsement quotes, media and press outreach including World Literature Today, Nerd Daily, Culturess, Book Riot, The Telegraph and Elle, being no. 4 on the Straits Times bestseller list in its opening week, being on sale at WHSmith at the airport departure lounge, book launch at West End London bookshop and in the USA, in Barnes and Noble physical bookstores throughout USA and at the airports such as in Key West, Miami International and JFK. I have also been invited to the Jaipur Literary Festival (“the greatest literary show on earth”) in February 2024. I have also seen an uptick in the sales of my other books. These opportunities to build audience trust and author visibility would not have been possible without the Penguin label. This experience has changed the way I see publishing as I come from a “nothing happens” school of thought from my previous publications. I am proud that my book now belongs with the orange-spined classics I grew up reading. I am inspired to keep writing. Stories keep us alive. Stories are more than ever what we need in these times.

My parting words and 5 rules of writing: Persevere. Learn to write. Write the best book that you can write. Believe that top quality writing always stands out. Above all, read.

RETREATING IS THE BEST STEP FORWARD BY CASS GRAFTON

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One of the many things I’ve learned as a writer is the importance of location. This isn’t about the settings of novels so much, but rather places where it’s possible to escape from day-to-day life and become fully immersed in a story in the making.

Most authors, when at home, tend to write in whatever space they have created for the purpose, anything from a desk in the corner of a room to a dedicated office or (my personal dream) a writing hut in the garden. When the opportunity arises, though, the chance to go away—especially with other writers—is the perfect mix.

Although I’m lucky enough to ‘retreat’ with four of my writing friends each year, usually on an escape into the Shropshire Hills, I’ve also enjoyed a few Cornish writing experiences through The Writing Retreat, superbly run by Jane Moss and Kath Morgan, who not only offer their insight and experience through optional tutoring and one-to-ones they also provide plenty of personal time to write. I’m booked onto my third retreat with them next March and can’t wait—though I’ll have to diet before I go so that I can enjoy the delicious meals they dish up every day!

My most memorable stay with Jane and Kath so far took place a few years ago in a truly remarkable location: the Old Sawmills, a property situated on a secluded creek off the River Fowey in Cornwall.

I was deep into the writing of a book I hoped would be the first in a romance series, set in the fictitious town of Polkerran Point (also in Cornwall), which had several parallels with the town of Fowey and the village of Polruan, situated further down the river from the isolated creek that is home to Old Sawmills.

This fabulous property sits on a tidal inlet, only reachable by boat at high tide or by walking through the woods from Golant or uphill and down dale from Fowey (a much longer route).

The mill building has a fascinating history spanning centuries and was converted some years ago into accommodation, with a music studio built on the lower ground floor. Many musicians have stayed there over the years, and some iconic albums have been recorded in this distinctive location, including Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, and several by Muse, including Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry.

Stalled in my writing for months, once installed in my room at Old Sawmills, I quickly realised I’d found my happy place. My bedroom overlooked the top end of the creek, beautiful in any season, and sat in the window there or curled up on a squashy leather sofa in the light, bright sitting room, the words flowed.

Perhaps it’s not surprising. Not only had many musicians created their masterpieces there, but Kenneth Grahame is also believed to have been inspired to write Wind in the Willows after picnicking in a little creek off the River Fowey—allegedly this one—an experience that is reflected in the opening chapter and describes the setting perfectly.

For myself, not only did staying at Old Sawmills give me the space and opportunity to pour my heart into my book—now published as New Dreams at Polkerran Point—but the setting of the recording studio will be a key location in the third book in the series.

Currently for sale, who knows what the future holds for Old Sawmills? In my dreams, a reclusive writer will buy it and happily sit in the conservatory, nature all around, as they pen novel after novel, lost in a world of their own creation.

 

Visit https://www.thewritingretreat.co.uk/ for more information.

 

 

 

 

WHY GO ON A WRITING RETREAT BY JO THOMAS

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To celebrate publication of  Countdown to Christmas, Jo Thomas shares the magic of writing retreats…

credit: Gemma Griffiths Photography

I love the chaos of busy family life. People coming and going. The dogs greeting everyone, tails wagging; the hustle and bustle in my kitchen. I thrive off it….most of the time. But sometimes I need everything a writer’s retreat gives me.

The first writing retreat I went on was a house in Scotland, Cliff Cottage, owned by a writer who enjoyed the company of other writers. It overlooked the sea and was a marvellous place to sit and work and leave daily life behind.

There is nothing like spending time with other writers to get the juices flowing, ideas bouncing, plots unblocked and for laughing together. Generally, writers get other writers.

I went on to go on writing courses in France with Anita Burgh, Veronica Henry and Jane Wenham Jones and eventually after years of trying and failing I got my first book, The Oyster Catcher written. After that, Chez Castillon become a place to go and get words on the page for me.

I love morning tea with writer friends…… drinking tea in your dressing gown and discussing a plot problem that’s holding you up or talk through an idea that’s come to you in the night.

Now that I run retreats in France, we generally meet on the morning of the first full day to introduce themselves, tell us why they’re there, what they’re writing and what they want to achieve in that week.

For many people making time to get away from everyday life has taken a lot of effort and juggling, not to mention organising travel and paying for that time away. I don’t want anyone to feel they haven’t achieved something by the time they’ve left. Even if it’s a plan for going forward.

Then I’ll make time to meet with everyone, one to one. It may be over a coffee in café in the town, by the pool in the shade of the covered terrace or over a gin and tonic in the bar across the road. Somewhere we can talk about the path forwards; talking ideas, finishing the book, finding an agent. Anything.  A week away is like a fullstop on busy everyday life and whilst you may not write a book in that week I do want everyone to go home feeling they know how to keep going.

And so we leave with plans, food memories from meals out at the bistro or the restaurant by the river or oyster tastings on a Sunday morning, with new clothes bought from the linen lady at the Monday morning market, shoved into our already tightly packed cases. We have laughed together, swapped stories, even cried in some cases as we support and encourage each other in our writing. We swap email addresses, make WhatsApp groups and new friends. And we promise to meet again, same time, same place….. new words to go on the page. It’s a place of support, encouragement, celebration and laughter. A little pause on everyday life to keep the wheels of our writing routine turning as we go back to everyday life and I return to busy kitchen, happy dogs and family life around the table.

 

Countdown to Christmas by Jo Thomas is published by Penguin (£8.99)

TEN YEARS AN AUTHOR… JANE CABLE SHARES HER MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

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Jane Cable self published her first book in 2013, after it reached the final of a major national competition sponsored by Harper Collins. After a brief flirtation with an agent and another publisher, in 2018 she signed to Sapere Books, for whom she writes haunting romances. Two years later she achieved her dream of becoming an Harper Collins author, writing as Eva Glyn. So far four women’s fiction titles have been published by One More Chapter, three of them set in Croatia.

This week, lessons eight to ten:

Publishing deals are increasingly hard to find

One thing I really wish I had been able to tell my twenty-something self was to prioritise my writing then, because publishing would become an increasingly tough business. Sadly that still holds true today.

Think about it; when one of the mainstays of your business plan is the 99p ebook (of which the platform selling it will take a very large share), a huge number will need to be sold to make anything like a profit. And it seems to me a bit of a fallacy that the costs involved are lower; the only thing missing are printing and physical distribution, and those can be done very cheaply in bulk, especially when you consider the differential in price.

So publishers have to be incredibly careful about what they acquire. Celebrity authors are bankers who bank roll the rest of us, but very little else is certain. Even authors with contracts can find themselves in choppy waters if the first book of a deal does not sell well. It’s brutal, but it’s a business. And sadly, with a cost of living crisis gripping the country and beyond, I can’t see it getting better any time soon. Sorry.

 

You will spend more time marketing your books than you ever imagined

When new authors blithely ask what they need to do to make sure their book sells I do have a wry little smile to myself. If there was a magic bullet and I knew what is was, I would be top of the Amazon rankings.

The one thing I can say with a degree of certainly is that you need to choose your marketing channels and stick with them consistently. I can tell when some authors have a book out in the near future because suddenly they pop up on social media, after an absence of months or even years. In that time all but your closest contacts are going to forget you.

Of course marketing takes time. I spend at least an hour on it each day, mainly on social media, but also looking at other promotional opportunities such as advertising, preparing new graphics, polishing up my website and Amazon pages, writing guest blogs… The list is pretty endless, but it’s only by trial and error you will discover what works for you.

 

A good edit is the best learning experience you can have

The first book I wrote for One More Chapter was The Olive Grove, and when the structural edit came back it wasn’t so much a case of ‘could do better’ as ‘must do better’. I was devastated, but the notes I was given were so detailed they provided a roadmap for how to improve the book, so it could become the best seller that it has.

I learnt so much from that experience. How to fill the pages with wonderful settings and deep, credible emotions. How to take a reader inside the story and keep them there, turning every page. It was the most valuable learning experience of my entire writing life, and I have pumped what I learnt into everything I’ve written since. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m perfect and every time I receive an edit back from One More Chapter I am trembling not only with fear, but with anticipation.

Each and every one has made me a better writer. And that’s very exciting indeed.

 

Lessons one to seven have been published on the previous two Wednesdays.