Tag Archives: A Day in the Life of

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editor

Posted on by

Newly appointed literary agent Felicity Trew describes a day in the life of one the top literary agencies, the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editorfelicity

By the time I get on the bus in the morning, I’ve already visited 50 different worlds… through my submission inbox. I never know where it’s going to take me.

I start my day meticulously trawling through the new manuscript adventures on an iPad, my portable office and library. I get hundreds of emails from hopeful authors each week with stories ranging from lovesick demons to 14th century political deviants. There is a lot that is not suitable for my list but every now and then I find a gem.

You can sum an agent in three words: talent-spotter, advocate and counselor. Our responsibility is to find the best authors and to bring out the best in them.
And book writing is 90 per cent idea, writing and 10 per cent editing that into something really rich and attention-grabbing.

So a substantial part of my morning is spent helping authors tighten their manuscripts into a powerful punch of literature for the publishers. Sometimes that can even mean sitting down with an author lost in a plethora of ideas and choosing the strongest option.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editorthecarefuledits

Most outsiders think the book world is a cosy industry of coffee cups and cupcakes, but it is a crowded business – which makes it tough but exciting. So after reaching out and responding to my clients, who come first, I tackle the contracts to get the day going.

The one reason a writer needs an agent is that legal document which exists for the lifespan of the book and controls everything from advances to film, TV, radio, theatre, eBook and merchandising rights. The contract can make or break an author. Get one sentence wrong and you’ve lost everything for a lifetime.

Agents feel a huge responsibility to give authors the best chance at carving out space on that cluttered bookshelf.  But it’s also a dynamic dance with the publishers. My job is to make sure all sides are happy, that the terms are clear and fair.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editorcupoftea
Lunch breaks are rarely breaks. They are spent negotiating details with publishing houses and putting forward our best and newest work – as well as tapping into what publishers and readers want.

Right now the time-tested solid trend is the saga: it is a natural development, people don’t want to feel abandoned by the characters they have grown to love after just one book. Escapism in the form of traditional fantasy and historical fiction are both definitely on the rise. But I always encourage my writers to write what they know and love irrespective of market trends.

The afternoon is spent preparing for the book fairs and literary festivals.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editorthethinking

The next big event on my calendar is the London Book Fair in April: a bustling marketplace of the international book world, where all the big deals are made and names forged.  Every major publisher, book seller, literary scout and agent descends on the sprawling venue – which this year is Kensington Olympia – hoping to buy and sell their wares.
It’s months of preparation: chasing authors with their deadlines, helping them shape their work, building eye-catching presentations and then networking to set up those all-important meetings to make sure our authors get heard above the crowd.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editorgoodbook
But book festivals are my real love – as it’s a chance to meet writers face-to-face, which is ultimately why I do my job.

This year, I’ve been asked to give several talks: an opportunity to offer advice to new authors.  The next is the Literary Festival in Wycombe in April at the Downley Community Centre, followed by the SCBWI retreat in May and Winchester’s Writers Conference in June.

The most frequent question I’m asked by new authors is how to approach a literary agent. The simple answer is: know your agent. Study their author lists, read their statements and their authors’ works, follow them on social media, find out what they are looking for and address that in your covering email. And do not send round robins or even worse accidentally address a rival agent (it has happened). Beware, the delete button beckons.

A day in the life of Felicity Trew – literary editoripadportablelibrary
After a busy day rushing between appointments, lunches and meetings the long bus journey home is an opportunity to catch up on industry news, looking at the latest signings, best sellers and mergers.

And maybe – just maybe – I might just read book of my own.

 

 

A Day in the Life of Lorna Windham

Posted on by

Jess on Helen's Polly 715.

I live in Northumberland.  With the Cheviots Hills, Rivers Tweed, Coquet and Wansbeck and endless beaches, I have plenty of choice about where to walk and think about writing. When I won the North Tyneside Short Story Competition with ‘Spirit of the Age’ and my children’s novel ‘Toby’s Secret’ was long listed in the Times Chicken House competition in 2008, I was hooked.

 

Spurred on by this success, I’m now the author of three local history books ‘Crime and Punishment’, ‘Deaths Disasters & Dastardly Deeds’ and ‘Murder, Mystery & Mayhem’ and in November I was invited to BBC Radio Newcastle to chat with Jonathan Miles about my latest effort.

pic4L

I often promote my writing by doing power point presentations for local history societies.  One talk I did was about ‘Deaths, Disasters and Dastardly Deeds’. It was a catastrophe.

Waking at 3am with a razor blade-throat, I used an old operasingers’ trick and gargled with gin. Numbness crept over my vocal chords. I slept. Hours later I was sure someone had performed surgery with a cheese grater. I grabbed a whisky bottle and gargled. My throat was completely anaesthetised. Success.

By that evening I had a dull headache and my eyes had more bags than Louis Vuitton. It was flu, but I had promised to do the talk.

“Something’s up with the heating again,” said the perspiring IT gent as I rehearsed the presentation.

“Really?” I croaked.

The audience trooped in at 5.00 pm. Thirty minutes later I pointed the IT gent’s laser repeatedly at the screen. Nothing happened. The audience groaned. “It’ll be the USB port, we’ve had difficulties with it before,” he said as he fiddled with leads.

Lorna & three books.

 

Should I kill him? I took a deep breath; at least he wasn’t piloting a plane. We began again. Everything worked, the audience clapped in anticipation. By 6.15 pm the talk was going really well. Emboldened by my success I started to move forwards, but couldn’t because my heel was stuck in a hole in the rostra. I was now attached to the stage. “Well,” I said wrenching myself free, “my talk is about disasters.”

Ten minutes later I was on the final furlong. My throat was raw, my head was about to explode and I was perspiring like a woman in labour. However, I was sure I’d delivered a talk which had mesmerised the audience by its sheer brilliance.

I glanced at the front row. One man’s eyelids were going down like blinds, his partner’s were closed and the woman beside him had her head on her chest. I finished quickly and thanked ‘EVERYONE’ for listening. They limped out adjusting whistling hearing aids, leaning on sticks and sucking teeth. Ah well, that’s what you get when you give a talk to octogenarians in an overheated auditorium.

 

Lorna & mouth of River Wansbeck.

 

 

A Day in The Life of Sandy Hogarth

Posted on by

Sandy Hogarth is the acclaimed Indie author of The Glass Girl which Frost will be reviewing shortly. 

 

Breakfast and a beautiful day. Perfect for the Nidderdale Show – an arch temptress. I have a lot to do today. The Glass Girl must go off tonight. I will feel a little lost when Ruth, my protagonist, goes. She has a troubled life but she’s tough.

 

‘Say thank you to your sister for me were his words. So Ruth fled, first to Australia, then to the outback.

 

Sisters. I am fascinated by families; by their honesty, their brutality, their love. And fascinated also by only-ones, so I have made Ruth’s lover an only-one: gorgeous Daniel. Everything she is not.

 

Music and voices from the loudspeaker drift up the hill, scrambled. Enticing

I give in, cease checking my MS and hurry down the hill with Ruth still in my head. And her sister Alexis.

 

Cars are queuing. I Pay my £10 and walk through the ancient turnstile.

In the first judging arena I come to is a magnificent bull with curls behind his horns. I wonder if it will win.

 

Sandy 1.jp

I remind myself that I must not stay long.

I pass a pig that is bored or asleep. They say pigs are the most intelligent of animals.

Sandy 2

My head is still with Ruth.  I especially loved writing the early part: Ruth’s time in the Australian desert.  I love the deserts there with their dunes of red dirt scattered with spinifex, and occasional wild camels.

I try not to laugh out loud when I see a cow receiving a final back-combing to the last 8 or 9 inches of its tail.

Sandy 3

Some of the sheep waiting in pens are shivering. It’s a hot day so it must be fear.

One puts up its head to me to have her curls admired.

Sandy 4

In the next tent, I find the winner of my ‘best hairdo competition’.

Sandy 5

Odd, this fixation on hairdos. From one who often forgets to brush her own.

I’m hungry so I get fish and chips from a van. We are almost as far from the sea as it is possible to be but they taste great.

 

The sisters take over my head again. And the glass girl. An old man in the desert gives it to Ruth.

 

“an exquisite glass girl, a dancer, with straight back and proud posture. Her body is draped in a mid-calf-length pink dress, the folds caress her long legs and her feet are encased in delicate oyster pink ballet shoes, the ribbons winding round her slender ankles. Her dark hair is shoulder length, her face tranquil and her hazel eyes as fathomless as the ocean. A brittle beauty. He says that it carries the desert within itself.’

6.Sandy

The Glass Girl calls. I walk/run back up the hill.

 

The Glass Girl is available here.

 

 

 

A Day in the Life of Sharon Bennett

Posted on by

I have always enjoyed making things; getting messy and creating atmosphere, whether with paint, fabrics, light or furniture. I am inspired by beautiful countryside, buildings, colour, water and places that I love!

A Day in the Life - Sharon Bennett

As a child I continuously annoyed my younger sisters by trying to capture them on paper with my pencils. After that I mostly drew and painted flowers in watercolour. More recently I joined an Art Group where I eventually developed a style of painting with which I am very happy.  Also I have a great love of photography, my recent works merge photos with collage, acrylic pallet, watercolour and pen work.

 

For texture in my work I often use different types of paper, including tissue, corrugated and foil.  One of my artworks ‘The East London Skyline’ was created during the 2012 Olympics. I incorporated cuttings about the Olympics from London newspapers into the painting itself. In my Venice paintings I have used handmade Venetian paper, tickets from train and boat trips! The painting then becomes alive and personal!

A painting will begin by the taking of an inspiring photograph. While out walking, holidaying or just shopping, beautiful buildings, waterways, boats, countryside, simply demand to be photographed! I take many – thank heavens for digital photography.

 

The next job is to search through the photos to see which will work well with my style of pallet knife painting and collage. The selected photographs are then enlarged, pixilated and often form a part of my paintings and become merged with collage, mixed media and acrylic pallet knife painting. I also usually include newspaper cuttings, tickets, wood, paper, anything which makes the picture more personal and unique! The result of these combinations create some powerful pieces of work. By using collage and many different textures it helps me to capture the vibrancy and atmosphere of the scene. I always like to work from my own photographs although I have created a couple of commission pieces.

 

 

I photographed St Paul’s from the Tate Modern on one of those perfect winter days. My daughter had bought me ‘high tea at the Tate’ as a birthday present last year. The weather was a perfectly crisp and sunny February day! A very rare treat in the middle of an awfully wet winter. I took the photograph from the restaurant on the top floor of the Tate. The resulting photograph was stunning and I hope you like the painting that emerged too! Margaret Graham did, and bought it when Easterleigh Hall was published. This is what she does – buys paintings to celebrate.

 

Six nights booked in Venice. We hoped for lovely weather as we were going in February! The first three days we had non-stop rain!  This did not stop me taking tons of photos and the results were stunning. The rain just seemed to enhance the colours of the beautiful Italian buildings and made the water a very deep green.

 

I was very pleased with the resulting painting, which also incorporated collage of matchsticks, our ticket from Venice to Verona and pieces of handmade Venetian paper.

I have lots of gorgeous atmospheric photographs to work with. A very familiar sight of a gondola full of Japanese tourists. The buildings over this canal are such a beautiful colour and I have tried to, and hopefully have, captured that! This is one of my most recent paintings.

 

I have some work going into a new pop up shop in Maidenhead called Craft Coop, located in Nicholsons Centre,  in an ex jewellery shop, across from Icelands, from 22nd Nov till the 4th January 2015.

 

For a further look at my work:

 

Website: www.mashup-designs.co.uk……..then…….Sharon’s Art.

 

 

My contact email is shazben58@gmail.com

 

 

A Day in the Life of Photographer Cire Simone

Posted on by

A Day in the Life of photographer Cire Simone1clI have been passionate about photography since I was a child, and my evenings were spent watching David Attenborough documentaries and thinking that becoming a wildlife photographer would be the best job in the world. A degree in Marine and Natural History Photography at University College Falmouth further cemented my ambition to create images, both still and moving. It also developed my interests in other fields of the craft.

A Day in the Life of photographer Cire Simone2clA year spent travelling the world after university started a new love of travel photography as well as increasing my joy in photographing landscapes and the natural world. Over the last few years I have honed my craft – although, of course every day is a school day and I am consistently learning and improving my work. Although only able to pursue my photography on a part-time basis at the moment, the dream of becoming a full-time freelance photographer is still very real and one that I aim to achieve before this decade is out. I have recently started photographing weddings and love the challenges that come with documenting the most important day of people’s lives.

 

My most recent shoot, however, was with a lovely couple commemorating their engagement, in the stunning Battersea Park on Saturday afternoon. I allow plenty of time to get myself organised – batteries charged, correct lenses packed etc. Organisation is key when running your own business and is a key component of my life in general. However, I’ve recently bought an orchid and couldn’t resist the opportunity to stage a quick shoot.

A Day in the Life of photographer Cire Simone3I have a set of macro extension lenses which, when attached to my trusty 50mm lens, allowed me to get some beautiful abstract shots in my makeshift studio set-up. I love using natural light for my photography and the light coming through the window on that day was perfect.

 

After a quick lunch – and another battery re-charge – I head off to Battersea Park. It is really beneficial for photographer and client to build a relationship prior to the big day. Not only so they can see how you work but also so you can find out as much as possible about their likes and dislikes. This is likely to be one of the most important days of their lives and the photographs are one of the ways that their memories of the day can be remembered forever.

 

An engagement shoot is a perfect opportunity to build that relationship and for the couple to practice some preferred poses as well as become more comfortable being in front of a camera – something many people are nervous about. It’s really important for me to ensure that my clients feel at ease and are able to enjoy the experience. The weather was beautiful and we were able to get a range of shots in various locations around the park. Although nervous at first, both bride and groom settled in to the shoot and we were all able to have fun in the sunshine.

A Day in the Life of photographer Cire Simone4

The shoot lasted for a couple of hours and then it was back to the studio. Due to such tight time restraints it is important for me to get as much work done as possible when I have the time and that meant settling in for an evening of editing.

A Day in the Life of photographer Cire Simone5

Editing can be very time consuming but it’s really lovely to see your hard work come to fruition when you have the finished product in front of you.

 

The couple were really happy with the final images and we have scheduled in another shoot in a different London location for this Sunday.  I then need to prepare for a yet another happy couple, and after that… Well, that’s the life of a photographer. There’s always a new project. That’s why I love it.

 

My website is: ciresimonephotography.com

 

 

A Day in the Life of bestselling Author Margaret Graham

Posted on by

margaretgraham

We have a new puppy, Polly. I’m up with the sun, because she is. So out she goes, into the garden led by me, because she is reluctant. The neighbors must think their worst nightmares have come true as this disheveled apparition stands in the dew come rain or come shine, hair askew, pleading with a four legged creature to ‘get on with it.’

In due course, I take both Polly, and the long suffering ‘older sister’ Rosie out for their walk. We head round the corner to the village pond where there are ducklings.

pic 1 Polly and Rosie

I say village and Downley really is one. A mere 25 minutes by train from London it has the heart of any Dorset village. There is a great community spirit, and we are fast building a reputation as a centre for the arts.

After ‘walkies’ it’s down to work – of some description. I could be sorting out next year’s LitFest for Words for the Wounded which is a charity I run with two other grannies to raise money for the wounded. The annual LitFest is our big event.

cmargaret

This year we had Elizabeth Buchan, Jemima Hunt, Tracy Baines and Frost’s Catherine Balavage as speakers. It was wildly successful, which is great. All the money goes to the wounded, as the grannies absorb all expenses.

My kids and grandkids are the catering team, and have a great time. Seems that not much wine survives – could there be a link?

Otherwise, as contributing editor for Frost, I could be reviewing books, or exhibitions or similar. Frost is a great springboard for aspiring writers. It gives them a cv and gets them noticed.

housedivided

Otherwise, my main thrust is as an author. I write two books a year for Arrow, which is a bit of a stretch and requires a modicum of organisation. When I’m researching I spend a fair bit of time at Starbucks in High Wycombe, reading through material which could be useful, or having lunch at the Wellington on the Strand for no other reason than I love it there and can catch up with Inacky, Esther, Maria, Thomas, and Ruth, who make sure everyone has a great time. As a special treat, the grandkids can sometimes spare the time to come with me. So young, they are, but so busy. So that’s the extent of the ‘organization’.

wellieandstaff

All the time though, whatever I’m doing, I’m thinking of the novels, trying to sort out a plan, iron out structural blips, and getting to know the characters. Then, for two months, I get my head down and write the darned thing. I can’t bear being interrupted, because for that time I am living in a different world, being a different person, well, many different people, and I just want to get it all down before it escapes me.

To finish is a relief, but also a loss because the characters, their struggles, their triumphs have become yours. But then, for me, it is onto the next one, or the next WforW event, or onto yet another playtime, or something for Frost. Heigh ho, I’m very lucky.

www.margaret-graham.com
www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk
www.wordsforthewounded.blogspot.co.uk

A Day in the Life of Tracy Baines

Posted on by

traceybaines

 

My life is full of distractions, it always has been. It’s one of the hazards of working from home. These days the distractions are mostly delightful and indulgent. First of all we have a new puppy, Harry, a springer spaniel and for the time being his needs come first. At the moment he’s snoozing in his bed at my feet but mostly he’s biting at my files and books and I am constantly telling him NO. He’ll learn.

harry

Once I’ve fed him and myself I’ll get to work on something easy like a blog post, just to get the writing flowing. If I start with emails it’s all too easy to get distracted so I leave that for later when I need a brain break.

 

I’m working on a book about my experience with my daughter’s eating disorder and the effect it had on the family. It was the kind of book I needed when we discovered how ill she was. It’s hard work as it brings back the awfulness of the situation so after about an hour I’m looking for something lighter to play with.  I might edit a couple of chapters of my novel or work on the second Nelly’s Jellies picture book for children, or an article or short story. I write for magazines such as You, (South Africa), That’s Life Fast Fiction, (Australia) and most of the UK women’s magazines.

 

After lunch my daughter usually appears with my grandchildren, Elsie and Hadley. The kettle goes on and we sit and chat and generally let the grandkids call the tune. So it might be CBeebies with Mr Bloom and Show Me, Show Me, or an hour in the garden. Sometimes my son comes over with his wife and my grandson, Huxley, and then the house becomes full and noisy and before long I want to escape to the quiet of my office and get back to work.

grandchildren I tend to use the afternoons for admin or going out for lunch with my husband. I can’t say long suffering husband as it’s been the other way around for years and now it’s my turn to pursue my writing career. When he goes out to the golf club  I might work for an hour or two in the office, editing a short story unless I’m teaching in which case I might arrive early to class and work on something or catch up on reading and research. I try to use as many ‘bits’ of time as productively as I can to work on my writing as for years that was all that was available to me. I think that’s why short stories are perfect if you don’t have a lot of time to write. You don’t have to hold so much in your head all and yet you have the satisfaction of seeing your work in print. A quick fix if you like.