Scary decision! I'm moving to Luxembourg

When I resigned from my career to try and make it as a writer Andrew was 100% beside me. Over the years there have been many, many times when I doubted my decision and he has been the one to re-assure me: "It will happen! Just keep going!" And all of those other things that writers need to hear often to keep our fragile egos in-tact.

I have been incredibly lucky, and his support meant I have had the time to write.
So, now it's payback time. Andrew has a new job. IN LUXEMBOURG!

Now, I hate change. I put this down to moving from Yorkshire to Suffolk when I was a  7 year old  kid, a move which devastated me. I've grown to love Suffolk but more than that I love my family and friends. I love going to the shops and seeing faces I know. I love the fact that the guy in the paper shop knows my name, that the woman in the cinema knows the kind of films I like. This is a community and I relish a sense of belonging, something mourned losing when I was 7. I honestly thought I would never leave this town.

If I was still a probation officer things would be different, but I work at home and I can write anywhere. So I've agreed to the move. How could I stifle Andrew's career when he has done so much to support mine?
I'm scared. But I'm going to embrace the possibilities and roll with the changes (I hope!).

And the start of it will be this blog. I'm not great at blogging but now I have a purpose. Hope a few people come along for the ride! 

Felixstowe Book Festival

I am so excited about the upcoming Felixstowe Book Festival, the first ever that the town has known.
The line-up is impressive and there are events to suit everyone, including children.

When I was approached by Meg Reid, the Festival Director, about doing a slot I suggested a panel of crime writers and decided to approach Michelle Spring and Sophie Hannah with the idea. I am delighted to say that both agreed, and our event is entitled:

DEADLIER THAN THE MALE
Why, for female writers and readers, murder can be so satisyfing!

Like it? It was my idea, and a bit tongue in cheek, but it is a good question: with most criminals being male and most victims female, why is the genre so attractive for women. Are we mastering our own anxiety? Are we trying to re-claim a typically sexist arena?

Come along and join in the discussion on June 16th (my birthday! What a way to celebrate...) at 2-3pm, The Orwell Hotel, Felixstowe.

More information about the Book Festival can be found at:
www.felixstowebookfestival.co.uk
info@felixstowebookfestival
01394 279783

WHAT DOES YOUR BOOKSHELF LOOK LIKE?

A look at Ruth Dugdall's bookcase

Here is a glimpse of Ruth Dugdall's bookshelves, beautifully ordered and full to the brim. Ruth is the author of The Woman Before Me, The Sacrificial Man and The James Version.
Ruth comments on her bookshelves:
My bookshelf covers the whole wall and it's still too small. Spines are ordered by colour, which might make you think I'm a bit OCD (which is true, but the colour idea was my husbands who only values books for their aesthetic as he doesn't read. When I met him I was impressed by his vast book collection, and by the time I found out he hadn't read any of them it was too late. But that's another story...)
As an English Literature graduate I have a lot of classics. It was a joy to cull these after I got the damned degree; Piers Plowman was the first on the fire, along with Gawain the Green Knight, though I later wished I'd kept the Homer.
My book collection is eclectic, with a strong leaning towards Canadian and American fiction. If I like an author I'll buy all their books, and these will be together (whatever colour the spine) and included in that list are Chuck Palahniuk, Margaret Atwood, Rose Tremain, Philippa Gregory and Josephine Hart. If I really like an author the books are hardback.
I also have a section for books that have helped with research. I have books on suicide and cannibalism, on deadly poisons and sado-masochism. I also have enough erotica to know that 50 Shades of Grey is a pale imitation (some of these books my husband has actually read...).
Finally, I have a shelf for my own novels, and they are propped alongside other significant things, like my name badge when I won the Debut Dagger, and the marzipan cake topper my mum made after I appeared on Woman's Hour. This shelf is a bit of an alter to never giving up!

NEXT BIG THING…

 

Thanks to Rebecca Giltrow (rebeccahgiltrow.blogspot.co.uk), fellow Suffolk author, for tagging me in the NEXT BIG THING. This is basically a literary pyramid scheme, except instead of having to send a chocoloate bar or a pair of knickers (anyone else remember that one?) you simply have to answer some questions on your blog. So I shall do so, in the hope that someone will still send me a bar of chocolate…(don’t worry about the knickers. That one always struck me as a bit odd.)

What is the working title of your book? My Sister & Other Liars.

Where did the idea come from for the book? As always with my writing, it is inspired by a real event. Several years ago I was watching a TV programme about a young girl whose sister had been attacked, and left brain damaged. The girl was told that the police had no idea who had attacked her sister and they were closing the case.

My novel starts at exactly that point, fictionally working through what a girl in that position would feel and think and – most importantly – do.

What genre does your book fall under? It’s a crime thriller. I’m hoping it will appeal to young adults, as well as older readers, as Sam is just sixteen years old when she receives this devastating news. She decides that, if the police can’t bring her sister’s attacker to justice, then she will. The story takes place over the following 2 weeks, culminating on her 17^th birthday, which is also the anniversary of the attack.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I really love the actress, Jennifer Lawrence, from Winter’s Bone & The Hunger Games. In fact, I’m going to see her tonight in Silver Linings Playbook. I think she’d sensitively show the dark aspect to Sam, but also her vulnerability. However, at 21 she’s too old, so I’d go for an unknown British actress who no one’s heard of in the hope that she would bring an authentic vibe with her debut performance. I like the idea of taking a chance on a newcomer, because that’s what Legend Press did with me.  

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? “In two weeks I’m going to be 17, I’m also going to be a killer.”

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m represented by Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh so I’m very, very fortunate.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Months. Years. Who’s counting? It’s not a race, and the reader doesn’t care how long it took, just so long as it’s a damn good read!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I’m interested in Gillian Flynn’s writing as she also explores family dramas through the crime lens. I also like Laura Kasischke and Anita Shreve.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? It’s the story in the brain that won’t be silenced. I’m attracted to stories that raise my anxiety, those newspaper headlines that linger long after the paper has been binned. Writing is my way of working through it. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Sam has anorexia, and I’ve done so much research on the subject that I’m pretty sure I could tube someone if they needed me to. It’s a horrible, obsessive, pervasive sickness and I hope I’ve portrayed it authentically.  

Okay, my 5 tags are writers I like and admire:

Gary Murning  garymurning.wordpress.com

Guy Mankowski  guymankowski.blogspot.co.uk

Sophie Duffy  sophieduffy.wordpress. com

Josie Henley-Einion josiehenley.blogspot.co.uk

Andrew Blackman  andrewblackman.net

Waiting for Wymondham

I am really excited about appearing at the Wymondham Words festival next week, alongside Jim Kelly. I know I'm excited because last night I had a dream about it. It was raining, and my books got sodden, and I was late! A typical anxiety dream, which I interpret as my brain `getting ready`. Am I anxious? Well, of course. It's a public event and a little performance nerves is natural. But I also see this as a great opportunity to meet readers, and to hear when they have to say, as there will be a q&a session. Also, I feel honoured to be teamed with Jim, whom I first met about ten years ago. I bought a book and asked him to sign it! I've seen him since (at Bodies in the Bookshop, Cambridge) and that was around the time of the New Angle Prize for Literature 2012. I was long-listed, but Jim actually won it. Our chair is Ed Parnell, a fellow Escalator alumni, so I feel in safe hands. If anyone wants more details the website is www.wymondhamarts.com

Luke Bitmead Bursary. It was how I got published!

Legend Press are excited to announce the opening of entries for the 2012 Luke Bitmead Writer’s Bursary. The award was set up shortly after Luke’s death in 2006 by his family to support and encourage the work of fledgling novel writers. The bursary is now the UK’s biggest award for unpublished authors. The top prize is a publishing contract with Legend Press, as well as a cash bursary. Luke is the author of the brilliant White Summer (the first novel to be published by Legend Press), co-author of Heading South and his final novel The Body is a Temple will be published posthumously on 1st June 2012. Information about Luke can be found at www.lukebitmead.com. Legend Press are pleased to be continuing this brilliant bursary for a fifth year, and hope to follow in the success of our previous winners Andrew Blackman (On the Holloway Road, published February 2009), Ruth Dugdall (The Woman Before Me, August 2010), Sophie Duffy (The Generation Game, August 2011) and J.R. Crook (Sleeping Patterns, July 2012). Submissions from writers will be accepted from today 1st May until 3rd August 2012 Only adult fiction is eligible for this bursary. The author must be a UK resident. The judging panel will consist of Luke’s family, Legend Press and authors - with the full panel announced shortly. Novels must be already completed before entry. Unfinished manuscripts will not be accepted. Your entry should be sent by email and must include the following: - The first 3-4 chapters of your novel - A detailed synopsis (max 1 page) – this should include the word count of your novel - A personal statement outlining why you would particularly benefit from the bursary. Submissions should be sent to: bitmeadbursary@legendpress.co.uk Entrants must be aged 16 or over. There is no upper age restriction for entry but all submissions must be from first-time, non-published authors – particularly those who are talented but whose personal or financial circumstances are making it especially hard for them to focus on writing as a career. The 2011 bursary was inundated with entries and we look forward to reading your work and discovering more talented authors, to join our fantastic alumni! For all enquiries please email bitmeadbursary@legendpress.co.uk