Keep Going

Mathematics? It's a foreign language to me. Sudoku? Why put yourself through such misery? (Supposedly for fun). Memories of binary lessons at my girls' grammar school can still bring me out in a cold sweat ... oh and the slide rule! An instrument of torture. Numbers may as well be hieroglyphics to me.

But words ... I've love them - can't get enough of them. Reading them or writing them, I'm in heaven.

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After my three children grew up and left home, I had more time to do the things I wanted to do. The thought of writing a novel hadn't even entered my head. It was the process of writing that I craved, not its publication. I wrote long newsy, embellished letters to people. I wrote short stories for my eyes only. I wrote children's stories that never saw the light of day. I packed them away in a drawer, happy for them to stay there.

Then I woke up one morning with a story in my head. I remember, it was 7th July, 2007. I spent the day in bed scribbling into an A4 pad. I couldn't stop the images and storylines from coming and didn't believe I could afford the time to get showered and dressed in case the images faded. This novel took a year of re-drafts, editing and polishing before I began to realise that I was proud of my achievement. It was the first thing I'd done for myself and I'd completed it. Perhaps it could be published? In fact, that was now quite an exciting thought. I started searching for a literary agent. I sent off 3 submissions at a time. (Agents prefer you send to send one out at a time, but if it takes 6 to 16 weeks to receive a reply, new writers would be receiving their pensions before they found success.) I wrote down when and to whom I'd submitted to and waited. It wasn't long before the cold shower of rejection letters started to drip onto the doormat. 'Not quite what we're looking for.' 'I didn't quite love it enough.' 'Our author list is full.' Now I have to say, when I'd received almost an A4 page of rejections and had written 'It's a no,' in red pen next to the agents' names on my list, the penny dropped. (It could have been ten pence, but as you now know, I don't do numbers!) If I wanted to be published, I had to up my game, as they say. It was up to me to learn and improve my writing. So I set about doing just that.

I started novel number two. I joined a writing group (Nottingham Writing Club) where I won several club writing trophies. I bought how to books about novel writing, grammar, character development etc. Time passed. I joined Twitter to develop an online presence. I continued to write. I continued to submit my book. I continued to be rejected. I entered competitions - and came nowhere. I joined Facebook. I travelled to London to listen to published authors speak and attended workshops at Harper Collins Publishing. I went to masterclasses, annually visited The London Book Fair, and also listened intently at local libraries to writer interviews. I continued to write. I started my own blog and read many other authors' blogs. More time passed. I continued to submit my book and ... a London-based agent asked to see my entire manuscript. She liked it! She sent me a contract. I signed it. This was it! Or so I thought.

With the contract signed, I finished my second novel and started on my third. For the next year I intermittently heard from my agent. Each time she informed me that she hadn't found a publisher for my novels. Significantly to me though, I was receiving more positive feedback about my books from these publishers. This encouraged me despite the continued rejections. Novel one and two were contemporary women's fiction but for novel three and having visited France and the martyred village of Oradour-sur-Glane, I felt compelled to write my next novel in a different genre - historical fiction. I informed my agent about my decision but I got a lukewarm reception. Well, thinking back, it was an Arctic iceberg of a response. "It's not a popular genre," she says. I say, tell that to Georgette Heyer, Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick (who I had a lovely cup of tea a piece of cake with in Nottingham) and hundreds more very successful authors. Surely an agent supports and encourages her/his writers? Not only this, but I couldn't enter a significant number of competitions because I HAD an agent. A part of me was saying, an agent in the hand is better than two in the bush (you know what I mean) but the other was saying, she's actually holding me back instead of helping me.

Eighteen months after finding an agent I wrote to her and ended our contract.

Instead of feeling disheartened, I felt free. I continued to write and in whatever genre I wished to express myself. I researched. I joined a second writing group (Nottingham Writers' Studio). Several of us developed an off-shoot fiction critiquing group called Ellipses and Ampersands. We meet monthly to critique each other's chapters and to give encouragement and support. (Hello Frances, Andy, Gaynor and Paul). I entered a national First Chapter Of An Unpublished Novel Competition AND WON! I now had an additional achievement to add to my writing CV. I pitched to agents at The London Book Fair and at the writing studio. As years had now passed by, I was watching and learning from online writing tutorials. I entered my third novel to the Festival Of Romance's New Talent Award in 2015 (people fall in love during wartime, too). I was shortlisted. I entered Choc Lit's Search For A Star and I was shortlisted. I started book four - another historical novel set in Paris during the German occupation. I went to another London Book Fair. I continued to write.

I can't pretend that I felt upbeat about writing throughout these ten years. Several times I became despondent, but this is where friendships, both actual and virtual online friendships, help. The support I received during these downbeat moments was immense. To mention a few people who were bastions of support: my twitter and author friend, Mariam Kobras. In the early days of my writing she told me I was a writer, not an aspiring writer. Frances Thiamann, Andy Miller, Gaynor Backhouse and Paul Anderson, my fiction group towers' of strength. Tina Williams who worked with me at the City Hospital and who read my book on reams of paper and was so positive about it. Of course my family, too. They are everything to me but maybe they're a little biased!

So, eleven years after I sat up in bed with a story to tell, I have signed THREE contracts for my first three books, with Choc Lit's new imprint, Ruby Fiction. My novel, Arlette's Story, (the historical novel my agent didn't want me to write) is now published. Thank you so much, Ruby Fiction.

To writers who are still waiting to be discovered, please keep going. Keep learning. Keep practising. Keep in touch with fellow writers. Keep writing.

When Germany Changed The Clocks

With the sun’s rays pinching her skin, Matilde turned a corner onto the Boulevard Saint-Germain on her way to the butcher’s. Paris smelled different. It looked different. She surveyed the length of the road, its buildings scarred with blood-red swastikas and its pavements clattering to the sound of German jackboots and the shrill ringing of bicycle bells. Street signs were painted in bold Germanic words and even the church clocks chimed to German time, having all been moved on two hours by the enemy. She noticed that yet another shop had been boarded up as she stepped into the road.

At this month's monthly fiction group at Nottingham Writers' Studio, I had my latest chapter critiqued. Members asked what I meant when I wrote in the paragraph above, that clocks chimed to German time, so I thought I'd explain with a blog post. They also mentioned that small facts gained from research are not only interesting but also strengthen the story and makes the imagination see more vividly.

Before the 17th Century, people in the French countryside used to time their lives by the sun – even after the invention of clocks. They got up with the sun and went to bed with the moon. Whatever the time was in Paris or other major cities had little to do with their lives. It was the coming of the railways that started the move towards standardization of time.

It became apparent that the use of solar time became inefficient and even disruptive as communication improved. In 1891, France adopted Paris Mean Time (called this to avoid using the word, Greenwich) as its standard national time. It seems comical now, but train timetables and railway clocks were set five minutes late to prevent passengers missing their trains! Naturally it didn’t take long before people realized this and allowed a few extra minutes for their journey – and occasionally missing their trains!

During the Occupation of France in World War 2, the era my latest novel is set in, German time was introduced. ‘La France à l’heure Allemande,’ – France on German time. As you can imagine this caused resentment and unrest. The Germans had not only taken their country and liberty, but now re-set their time. German time was introduced in May 1940 which was GMT plus one hour in winter and GMT plus two hours in summer.

There’s an interesting article written by Yvonne Poulle that can be found online. According to her research there was no official order at the beginning of the war about the time change. The occupying army simply arranged the time change with the local French authorities and it was later confirmed in the local press or by word of mouth. Unbelievably, for a while, the Occupied Zone of Paris and Northern France were two hours ahead of the Unoccupied Zone in the south (Vichy France). The difficulties this produced are not difficult to imagine, especially on the railways. Eventually the SNFC (the French railway authority) suggested that both zones should observe the same time. On March 9th 1942, Vichy France was required to change to GMT plus two hours to bring it into line with the rest of France and Germany.

Many French people resisted this order. As a gesture of defiance, they stubbornly refused to change their clocks at home and kept to the old French time. In Jean Anglade’s novel, La Soupe à La Fourchette, set in the south-central Cantal region of France, one of the story’s main characters insists on keeping the family clock on ‘old French time’ – two hours behind as an act of resistance. This clock is hit by a stray bullet in July 1944 during a skirmish between Germans and the Resistance.

After liberation, France returned to GMT plus one hour all year round with no seasonal change, and so it remains.

Choc Lit's new imprint - Ruby Fiction

I’ve dreamed of writing this particular post for so many years that it’s difficult to believe I’m actually typing it. Earlier this summer I submitted my latest novel, A Hill In France, to Choc Lit; a multi-award winning British independent publisher. Although A Hill In France isn’t a traditional romance (the storyline includes a horrific, factual event), I’m beyond delighted to reveal that three of my books have been accepted for publication. Ruby Fiction is Choc Lit’s new imprint and where my books will belong.

I’ve admired Choc Lit Publishing for many years after becoming online friends with several of their authors. I’m always impressed by how fabulous their book covers look, the support the authors give to one another and how often Choc Lit’s name crops up in competition shortlists and winning books. I’m overwhelmed to be joining their team of authors and am looking forward to meeting them and working alongside them.

Many congratulations to Caroline James and Carol Thomas who have also joined Choc Lit’s Ruby Fiction.

Writing East Midlands Conference 2017

A bare blue sky, a carpet of daffodils and bright sunshine greeted visitors to this year's WEM conference. It took place in the beautiful Portland Building in Nottingham University's campus on Saturday 25th March 2017. Writing East Midlands is a charitable, not-for-profit organisation that promotes and supports writing and reading both locally and further afield. It runs programmes that help to improve writers' work, brings the writing community together, improves their skills and provides opportunities for professional writers to be paid for their work. This one-day conference gave local writers access to leading professionals from the industry. There were fifteen events, debates, workshops and seminars that ranged from The Role of the Writer in Times of Change, A Hero's Journey, Pitching to an Agent, Writing the Personal and many more. Later in this post I've written in more detail about the classes I attended.

The conference was hosted by journalist and East Midlands Today broadcaster, Geeta Pendse. She gave a warm welcome talk and introduced the lovely Alison Moore who was the keynote speaker of the day.

Geeta Pendse

Alison Moore's first novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Awards (New Writer of the Year), winning the McKitterick Prize. Alison gave a warm and personal talk about her road to success which included rejections and insecurities before entering competitions and slowly climbing the ladder of achievement.

Alison Moore

The first slot I attended was Writing for the Commercial Romance Market. The panel included, writer Judith Allnatt, who I've met several times before, Caroline Bell Foster and Tracy Bloom. Tracy defined romantic fiction as two people who love each other but there are barriers. She also said that there didn't have to be a happy ending which bought gasps of horror from the audience! She gave examples of successful romantic novels such as One Day and Me Before You that didn't include happy endings. We were asked to consider if our protagonist had earned her/his happy ending. Characters should evolve but be real, like Bridget Jones. Your reader wants to feel as if they are friends with your protagonist, making them care how your character's story unfolds.

Now to the important bit of a romantic novel - the hero! Caroline said that we should make our hero into someone we would be attracted to. I'm sure we all do this anyway, as it makes writing about him/her so much easier. We want to fall in love with our heroes and unlike the real world, we want thousands of other people to fall in love with them too!

A good tip was to write about what we'd like to read. It was also suggested that a protagonist should write a letter to the author in her/his own 'voice,' saying what they want, their likes and dislikes, their fears etc. From this letter, your main character's personality should arise.

Tracy Bloom, Caroline Bell Foster, Judith Allnatt

The second slot was entitled, The Role of the Writer in Times of Change. The panel were Nikesh Shukla, Kerry Young, Femi Oyebode and Henderson Mullin. Femi spoke about emotional truth and words being everything. Kerry said she didn't believe that writers had a role, but that we should write about what we care about: our passions, our values and messages we want to convey. She believes that writers do have a responsibility though. We should educate, amuse, challenge, entertain, encourage questions etc. Kerry gave an example about how times change and writers must change with them. The Archers began as a farmers' educational programme following rationing during wartime. It's evolved over time to become something very different.

Decades ago, Lady Chatterley's Lover was in court.

Today, Fifty Shades of Grey is in Asda!

Nikesh believes that the role of a writer is to answer questions that trouble people. We are social commentators. (I like that idea) He gave a passionate talk about the danger of accepting the single story. A story will be different seen by different eyes. Writers shouldn't be labelled as gay writers, black writers, Asian writers, white middle-class writers. I agree with him whole-heartedly and believe that we all come under the same banner - storytellers and communicators.

Nikesh Shukla, Kerry Young, Femi Oyebode, Henderson Mullin

Before lunch I spent twenty minutes talking with literary agent, Nelle Andrew from PFD agency, about one of my books. As well as discussing my writing, we included the wider topic of the publishing industry, fictional characters mixing with real world events and first chapter do's and don'ts, (to be included in another blog post).

We all had an hour for a networking lunch so I caught up with writers from Nottingham Writers' Studio, learned more about Mslexia from Debbie Taylor and chatted to the delightful Caroline Bell Foster. It was great to see Five Leaves Bookshop with a table full of diverse and exciting books which made it difficult to buy just one! After a walk in the glorious sunshine to take a few photographs, it was time for the afternoon sessions to begin.

I chose to go to Independent Presses: How Could They Work For You? for the third slot. On the panel were Teika Bellamy, (Mother's Milk Books) Debby Taylor (Mslexia) and Anne Holloway (Big White Shed). Teika shared her story about her independent press and how it benefits writers. She works very closely with her writers and happily dedicates a lot of time to creating a wonderful book with them. Anne explained how she had received very favourable comments and reviews about her writing but found it so difficult to secure traditional publishing. What better way than to create your own press...and that's what she did. I say huge congratulations to both of you.

The common thread that ran throughout the discussion was that the independent publisher generally has more time to dedicate to their writers. They have the freedom to publish diverse, exciting authors, whereas traditional publishers tend to specialise in certain genres. It was reassuring to hear that editors scrutinise work before publishing it, just as traditional publishers would do. They want each book to be the very best it can be. Here comes the caution - don't be tempted to go with vanity publishers. They ask you for money up front and the quality can be quite poor.
Debbie spoke about the diversity of Mslexia Magazine and the wonderful opportunities that can be found between the pages for its 24,000 readers. (Note: Their novel competition is now open!) Debbie has also worked with Françoise Harvey to create a wealth of information about independent publishes called, mslexia, Indie Presses 2016/17. It's a thoroughly researched book containing information on more than 400 independent literary presses in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Teika Bellamy, Anne Holloway, Debbie Taylor

Following a coffee break, my final choice of the day was Pitching To An Agent. Alex Davis chaired the panel, who included, Oli Munson, Julia Kingsford, Davinia Andrew-Lynch and Nelle Andrew. Questions were welcomed from the audience and I've included some here.

Question: Must a writer's manuscript be professionally critiqued before submitting to an agent?
Oli: If you have the resources, it's a good idea but if not, don't worry. Ask several people to read it first as a different eye picks up mistakes that have been over looked.

Question: What do you want to receive in a submission?
Oli: Every agent has a different criteria but the norm is a covering letter, a synopsis and three chapters.
Julia: Research your agents. Look at their list of clients and think whether your book will fit. Research which genres each agents request.

Question: What would you like someone to call you as in a covering letter?
*sniggers from the audience*
Nelle: By her name! Although she isn't too impressed when she receives letters beginning with, Dear Neil! Spell it correctly.

Question: How much do you like to get involved with changes in a book?
Oli: He would have a conversation with the writer first. He's aware that he's the editor and not the author. His suggestions don't have to be acted on every time.

Question: After agent representation, how important is public speaking at events?
Davinia: If an author is particularly uncomfortable with public speaking, she would personally find another way around the situation. Public speaking and reading helps to increase your public profile, but no one is forced into doing it.

Question: If a writer enjoys creating work in different genres, can they submit a range of work?
Oli: Submit your strongest work and submit that.
Nelle: Specialise in one particular genre to make it stronger, but enjoy working in as many as you wish.
Julia: If it's good, she'll look at it. She represents someone who writes fiction and non-fiction.

Question: Do you read every manuscript and do you prefer email or hard copies?
Davinia: No and email.
Nelle: No. If you can't write a letter, you can't write a manuscript. Email.
Oli: No, but always the letter. If his taste in fiction is different to the submission, he won't read on. Email.
Julia: She dives in and reads the first page before the covering letter. If it's good, she'll read the letter. Email.

After several more questions, the panel gave a final word on pitching. Here are some bullet points.
* Make it the best it can be.
* No typos.
* Be confident - but not arrogant.
* Have an assured and clear sense of voice.
* Don't be too personal.
* Don't use gimmicks to present your work. *puts clown outfit back in the cupboard*
* Don't use bribery. *puts chocolates back in the cupboard*

A covering letter should show how serious a writer is about writing. How have they developed their writing? What is the essence of their book? Do they have a clarity of vision? Mention some like-minded authors and what books are similar to yours? Who is your market? Why are you different and original?

Julia, Oli, Nelle, Davinia

"There is a certain amount of luck involved. A best seller is not destined to be a best seller. It's about the right people, the right time and the right place."

Nikesh Shukla gave the farewell keynote speech and storyteller, Shonaleigh, shared an extraordinary story that she'd created during the day.

Nikesh

Shonaleigh

Huge thanks to Writing East Midlands for another wonderfully inspiring conference - and as someone said on the day,

KEEP GOING. WE NEED YOU. WE NEED YOUR STORIES.

Bromley House Library

'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Marcus Tullus Cicero (106-43 BC)

I've lived in Nottingham for most of my life. I thought I knew every park, every bookshop, every corner and every alleyway. So it was with astonishment and delight that I was introduced to Bromley House Library. Hidden away between two uninspiring shops, stood the large wooden door to Bromley House, a Grade 2 listed town house, built in 1752.

As I climbed the stone stairs I wondered how many thousands of people had walked up this stairwell, each searching for escape into another world through the port hole of a book. I reached the library's door and what a treasure trove lay behind it. Rooms full of Georgian features, shelves groaning under the weight of books old and new, a reading room with armchairs ready to cushion weary thighs, an old spiral staircase leading to a gallery of more delicious bookshelves, a meridian line sparkling gold on the floor in the midday sun and outside - an original walled garden.

Bromley House had an amazing atmosphere too; a sense of history, knowledge, friendships past and present, sanctuary, contemplation and peace. I took a few photographs so I can share with you all, this remarkable building.

The reading room full of books, oil paintings and comfortable furniture in which to relax and read, and a large table for studying at.

Oil paintings, a grandfather clock and a very old ornate wrought iron spiral staircase leading to a gallery and further rooms.

An operational meridian line which runs through one of the reading rooms.

The library has been operating continuously since 1816. It has a collection of 40,000 books with new acquisitions each month.

The library is a rich resource for research, whether you want to study history or just read a contemporary novel or non-fiction book.

There's also a room available for making refreshments where a variety of newspapers are available to read. Bromley House is also a venue for talks, book launches and exhibitions. It was here that the first photographic studio in Nottingham operated from 1841.

If you'd like to find out more about the library or arrange a visit, you'll find more information here.