Tag Archives: Frances Colville

A Day In The Life of Author Frances Colville

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I’ve always been an organised sort of person; writing lists, making plans and generally achieving whatever I set out to achieve. Then I took early retirement and expected to devote hours to writing. But… But… There are, suddenly, all kinds of people making demands on your time. And there are so many things of interest calling to you.

All of this means I no longer have a typical day. But there are some typical elements.
I always make time to read. Have you ever worked out how very few books you can actually get through in a lifetime? A scary thought when there is so much wonderful stuff on my list and in my teetering pile. Then, if it is at all possible, I make time to walk down to the sea.

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It takes me twelve minutes to reach my local beach of Seatown. I like it best when it is wild and stormy, when the waves crash in along the shore line and the cormorants have to battle to stay airborne. But whatever the weather, there is inevitably something different to see, something to provide writing inspiration.

And that is the other constant. I try each day to make time for whatever writing project is uppermost in my life This year there have been several main threads. I’ve organised a Story Slam in my local town of Bridport,

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I’ve taken part in various performances and competitions, and I’ve been working on my Sixty List ( a project to do sixty new things in my sixtieth year and to write about them). But the biggest project and for me, the most satisfying, has been working on a local First World War story. I’ve researched it thoroughly, curated two exhibitions, talked about it on radio and TV, written about it for magazines and papers.

It’s the intriguing story of a young woman who contributed fresh eggs to the National Egg Collection for wounded soldiers and who decorated those eggs with paintings, poems and her name and address. In return she received thank-you letters from many soldiers. Now, as well as dealing with the factual aspects of the story, I’m trying to develop it as fiction.
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So far, a couple of short stories have been successful and I’m working on a novel. But there’s a long way to go yet. And never enough hours in the day!

© Frances Colville

Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif Review by Frances Colville

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despite the following snow book reviewDespite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif was first published in 2010 but has recently been reissued by John Blake to coincide with the release of the film (starring Charles Dance and Rebecca Ferguson) written and directed by Sarif herself.  Two previous books, I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen have also been made into films.

 

Set partly during the Cold War in the post-Stalinist Moscow of the 1950s and partly in Boston forty years later, this is a vivid portrayal of love, life and loss.  It’s a very visual book, made to be filmed, and at the same time a gripping read with some interesting twists and turns.  A thriller with a difference, in fact.

 

But what I really like about this book is that it is essentially a love story with a spy story background, rather than – as is so often the case – the other way around.  And although the main character, the central character, is a man, we are drawn from the beginning into the lives of the women in the story and much of the story is told through their eyes rather than Alexander’s.  This might sound confusing, but in fact it makes for a clever, well-plotted and well-written novel which works on several different levels.  I think it will make an excellent film and it’s certainly a good read.

 

Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif pub.   John Blake. £7.99

 

The Inheritance by Katie Agnew Review by Frances Colville

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Pic 1 If you like a good story with a variety of locations and some interesting characters, you'll love this new novel from Katie Agnew, whose first novel Drop Dead Gorgeous won a WH Smith Fresh Talent Award. The Inheritance is essentially the story of Sophia Beaumont-Brown who used to be an IT girl, but is currently single, cut off from her family and reduced to sofa-surfing. An appeal for help from her dying grandmother offers her the opportunity to turn her life around and to make sense of the past. Can she unravel the stories of her family's history and find what her grandmother wants her to find before it is too late? But The Inheritance is not just Sophia's story. Several different threads draw us into the lives of other characters in the book with settings ranging from pearl diving communities in Japan through pre-war and wartime England to 21st century London and New York. The plot is well handled and you'll be kept guessing until the last chapters as to exactly how it is all going to work out. An easy-to-read but fascinating story with some intriguing twists. The Inheritance by Katie Agnew was published in trade paperback by Orion on 21 July 2016 priced at £13.99.If you like a good story with a variety of locations and some interesting characters, you’ll love this new novel from Katie Agnew, whose first novel Drop Dead Gorgeous won a WH Smith Fresh Talent Award.

 

The Inheritance is essentially the story of Sophia Beaumont-Brown who used to be an IT girl, but is currently single, cut off from her family and reduced to sofa-surfing.  An appeal for help from her dying grandmother offers her the opportunity to turn her life around and to make sense of the past. Can she unravel the stories of her family’s history and find what her grandmother wants her to find before it is too late?

 

But The Inheritance is not just Sophia’s story.  Several different threads draw us into the lives of other characters in the book with settings ranging from pearl diving communities in Japan through pre-war and wartime England to 21st century London and New York.  The plot is well handled and you’ll be kept guessing until the last chapters as to exactly how it is all going to work out.  An easy-to-read but fascinating story with some intriguing twists.

 

The Inheritance by Katie Agnew was published in trade paperback by Orion on 21 July 2016 priced at £13.99.

 

 

The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown Review by Frances Colville

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book reviews The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown Review by Frances ColvilleFinancial problems with a rambling castle in south west Ireland, a busy hotel and restaurant, the filming of a favourite cookery competition for TV, a tangled web of relationships both current and in the past, mother and daughter issues, childhood memories, alcoholism, food-blogging, cake baking, house building, a disturbed and manipulative main character, kidnapping, sabotage, a fire and possible murder all vie for position in this new novel from Kate Lord Brown.  A bit much?
Yes, probably.  But I did keep turning the pages to see how it was all going to work out and although some parts of the ending were clearly signposted I didn’t get everything sorted in my head.  Not sure it’s quite a relaxing beach read given that you need to concentrate.  Perhaps despite the title, it’s better suited to a long winter’s evening when you’re feeling in need of that taste of summer.

 

The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown is published by Orion on 28 July 2016 in paperback priced at £7.99.

 

 

Tiny Prisoners by Maggie Hartley – Reviewed by Frances Colville

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Pic 1 I normally try to avoid books with this sort of strapline - Two siblings trapped in a world of abuse. One woman determined to free them - partly because the horrors unfolding make for very uncomfortable reading and partly because with the best will in the world there seems to be a tendency to veer towards sensationalism. With Tiny Prisoners by Maggie Hartley however, the latter is absolutely not the case. I think this is largely because the story is told from the point of view of Maggie herself, foster carer to Evie ( 2) and Elliot (3) who have witnessed extreme abuse and been neglected and isolated throughout their short lives. Maggie relates her story and theirs in a matter-of-fact and understated way which feels very honest and is therefore all the more compelling. So even if like me you wouldn't usually pick up a book like this, I do recommend that you give it a go - you cannot fail to be moved, saddened, horrified and ultimately uplifted. And also like me, you won't be able to help admiring Maggie hugely. What an incredible woman she must be. Tiny Prisoners by Maggie Hartley is published by Trapeze on 28 July 2016 in paperback at £6.99 and eBook at £4.49

I normally try to avoid books with this sort of strapline – Two siblings trapped in a world of abuse. One woman determined to free them – partly because the horrors unfolding make for very uncomfortable reading and partly because with the best will in the world there seems to be a tendency to veer towards sensationalism. With Tiny Prisoners by Maggie Hartley however, the latter is absolutely not the case. I think this is largely because the story is told from the point of view of Maggie herself, foster carer to Evie ( 2) and Elliot (3) who have witnessed extreme abuse and been neglected and isolated throughout their short lives. Maggie relates her story and theirs in a matter-of-fact and understated way which feels very honest and is therefore all the more compelling. So even if like me you wouldn’t usually pick up a book like this, I do recommend that you give it a go – you cannot fail to be moved, saddened, horrified and ultimately uplifted. And also like me, you won’t be able to help admiring Maggie hugely. What an incredible woman she must be.

 

Tiny Prisoners by Maggie Hartley is published by Trapeze on 28 July 2016 in paperback at £6.99 and eBook at £4.49

 

 

Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford Reviewed by Frances Colville

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Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford Reviewed by Frances Colville

Learning to Speak American is Colette Dartford’s first novel and is based on her own experience of renovating and living in a derelict house in California’s Napa Valley.

 

Lola and Duncan Drummond are struggling to cope with life in their Somerset village home after the tragic death of their only child Clarissa.  An attempt, initiated by Duncan, to improve the situation by taking a holiday in California results in a sudden decision to buy a holiday home there. The ramifications of this trip combined with the continued unraveling of their lives in the UK take them on an emotional and sometimes heartrending journey.  But for the first time since Clarissa died, Lola feels able to let go off her depression and consider a future.

 

A moving story, sensitively handled, which draws you in and  keeps you reading. It’s a little bit predictable, but sometimes you just want a book which doesn’t require too much thought or analysis, which you can enjoy for its engaging characters and beautiful setting. and which tells a story you can involve yourself in.  This does the job well.

 

Learning to Speak American is published by Twenty7 – the new digital-first fiction imprint of Bonnier Publishing – and will be available as a Paperback Original, priced at £7.99, from July 14th2016.

 

 

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne Reviewed by Frances Colville

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Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne Reviewed by Frances Coalville book review

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne will haunt you long after you have reached the last page.  It’s a wonderful story, which draws you in from the very beginning and grips you until the final reveal. And it’s well written too.

 

This is a book about identity, about what it means to be Jewish in London and in Israel, about what life is like for Israeli citizens, and for Palestinians living in Gaza. It explores religious beliefs, racism and anti-semitism, and looks at the strength of family ties and the power of relationships.  There is also a strong thread of feminism, cleverly worked into the story given that the two main characters (both of whom we can empathise wholeheartedly with) are male.

 

And for me, showing us more than one side of the debate is perhaps the main strength of this book; as we follow the lives of the two men, one of whom is desperate to leave Israel and the other to move there permanently, and also dip into the lives of several other characters, both male and female, we are made aware that of course there is no easy answer to any of the huge questions which the author raises.

 

But above all, this is a book about people, not facts or philosophies or doctrines.  And those people have lodged themselves firmly in my head.

 

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne is published by Legend Press and available as a Paperback Original priced £9.99 from 7 July 2016.

 

 

The Lazy Guru’s Guide To Life by Laurence Shorter Reviewed by Frances Colville

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The Lazy Guru's Guide To Life by Laurence Shorter Reviewed by Frances ColvilleAn amusing and at first glance lighthearted book, but one with serious undertones, The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life by Laurence Shorter takes a fresh look at the very current subject of mindfulness and offers suggestions for de-stressing, and making life flow as it should.  By using the simple techniques described in the book and learning how to embrace your inner Lazy Guru, you can improve your quality of life and understand how to achieve more by doing less.

 

You can read this book (and appreciate the beautifully simple and very effective line drawings) at one sitting in less than an hour, or you can take it one page, one thought, one session at a time.  It’s the sort of book you can return to again and again. The way of the Lazy Guru is to make space in your life by stopping, tuning in and letting go.  Learn how to beditate, or to clear out the crud or to dump your shoulds (I should be doing this or I should be liking that).  I particularly enjoyed the illustrations of a thunderous herd of shoulds (aka wildebeests) first shown charging through our hectic lives and then slinking away quietly once they have been tamed.

 

Laurence Shorter is an author, leadership coach and stand-up comedian and this book successfully combines those diverse elements.  Recommended for anyone in your life suffering from depression, or  those energy-sapping, life-affecting illnesses like fibromyalgia or ME, but also one to buy for yourself if you want to improve the quality of your own life.

 

The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life is published in hardback by Orion Books, priced £14.99 and available now.