Monthly Archives: June 2014

Listen to your characters.

My publisher, Piatkus, like my outline for a new novel and will be issuing a contract shortly. Now I can get stuck in, developing the outline into a novel of 100,000 words. An exciting journey lies ahead of me. My working title is Tread Softly, Alice. That of course may change before  I submit the final work by the first of February 2015. At the moment, 1900 is the year in which the novel will open and before the final words are written it will have taken me to Yorkshire, Scotland, and South Africa and maybe to other lands if the characters tell me where they want to go. Yes, my characters do talk to me! We have some very interesting conversations. Generally we agree on the direction the story of their lives should take and generally we come to an amicable conclusion.   Towards the end of my first Jessica Blair novel, The Red Shawl (1993), I was going to kill my leading female character  but she said to me, ‘Don’t do that and I will provide you with a second novel.’ I took her advice and sure enough the fact that she was alive led me to writing, A Distant Harbour (1994)

 

 

A Writer Recharging Batteries

Had a few days break from writing to visit my grandson and his partner in Southampton. They laid on some glorious weather for me and my daughter.  Apart from relaxing in their garden we visited Mottisfont, a country house with extensive grounds and gardens, and sailed to the Isle of Wight and back on the ferry. This was made most interesting by my grandson’s knowledge of the shipping and shore installations of this busy stretch of waterway. All grist for the writer’s mill.

I came back refreshed and ready to start on my next book  but before I can do that I need verification that my publisher, Piatkus, likes the outline I sent before I had my break in Southampton. I’m itching to get started and use up some of that new battery power.MottisfordCruise Ship leaving Southampton