Back to Creative Writing School, by Bridget Whelan, Reviewed.

A writing manual that sets out to encourage and inspire, but that also gives the reader tools to use, examples to learn from, and exercises that will help embed the lessons. As a writer of some experience, I generally don’t gravitate toward books on basic technique. I’m pleased I made this one an exception.

Concise, witty, informed and accessible, this is a book that guides would-be writers through the skill sets and pitfalls of creative writing. Bridget Whelan’s writing style is inviting and friendly without straying into the uncomfortable intimacy that a casual approach can sometimes involve. She presents her lessons in small chunks of entertainingly written advice gleaned from experience of writing and of teaching writing students. And she provides exercises that are well thought out and manageable whilst retaining a challenging element designed to make the reader really consider what it is they are being asked to do.

Set out in 3 ‘Terms’, each split into 10 ‘Lessons’, the text takes the reader through those elements of creative writing that most matter. Whilst each subject and topic is dealt with seriously, the writing style allows her sense of humour to come through and engage the reader in a way that makes the whole easily managed.

I particularly liked her sections on humour: in fact parts of it had me laughing out loud. Her sections on horror give a real feel for the genre. The selected samples used to illustrate certain points are always clear and pertinent, showing the best, or the worst, of writing style.

This is a book that will gently and surely lead the would-be writer through the process of approaching and creating imaginative writing. I thoroughly recommend what is an enjoyable, encouraging and inspiring read. And, now, if you don’t mind, I’ll end this review so I can get on with some of the stories that are currently fighting for my attention, having been inspired by this book!

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A Fantastic Talk on Marketing.

Dan Grubb

Like many writers, I loathe the whole paraphernalia of marketing. But, also in common with most writers, I want my books to be read. This produces a bit of a problem, since there are so many books published that authorial silence is hardly likely to produce much in the way of attention from the reading public.

My writers’ group, an amazing mix of professional scribes who call themselves ‘Hornsea Writers’, for the very good reason that Hornsea is their geographical meeting place, had the opportunity this week to have a talk delivered by independent publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing’s CEO, Dan Grubb. He gave us a talk on, you’ve guessed it: marketing.

Amazing, inspiring, informative and, above all, entertaining, Dan’s talk was delivered with passion and professionalism, which is no surprise, given the way he runs his business. I’m not going to précis the content here, since Dan’s producing his own blog on that (I strongly suggest you subscribe to his weekly newsletter here, so you can catch that when it appears.)

But I will pass on a couple of his pointers:

·      If you don’t already belong, join these sites and be active – Facebook, Google+, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr,  Stumbleupon and Youtube. And, if you don’t already blog, DO! Blogger or Wordpress are probably the best free sites for that. Connect ALL these sites.

·      Whenever and wherever you post, make it engaging and interesting. There’s huge competition out there and it’s easy to be ignored and/or rejected, so give your readers something that’s of value to THEM.

It isn’t often that a small writers’ group, some of whom are quite tall, gets a talk from a publisher, so it’s as well for members to take heed of what they hear. What did I take away from his presentation?  Well, many things. But, principally, I was inspired to take a more positive view of marketing. To view it not simply as a sales platform but as a way of interacting with actual and potential readers. Now, that is something I can do with pleasure. In fact, it’s why I write this blog.

So, look out for Dan’s blog post, visit his website at Fantastic Books Publishing, and follow his advice there. Meantime, please connect with me on the sites listed above. The more connections we all have, the greater the chance that we can help each other.

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Charley, by Shelby C. Jacobs, Reviewed.

Novels are works of fiction, by and large. But we can often learn from them, especially if some of the

subject matter is unfamiliar to us as readers. In this romance, I learned about aspects of American Basketball, the position and influence of the church on certain moral issues and the ways in which business might be conducted in the USA.

This is essentially a love story, employing an important theme with which I have sympathy: it discusses, through the interactions of its protagonists, the difference between lust and love. The eponymous Charley is a very strong female character and, in PJ, she is thrust, literally in certain passages, into the arms of a very strong male character. Their introduction, mutual exploration of sex and love, and their attempts to resolve the problems they face in getting together form the plot of the story.

I have to confess that much of the Basketball description went over my head. As a Brit, I have little knowledge of the sport and, with its own jargon, which is clearly understood by aficionados, I was often in the dark. But it wasn’t important, as the sports sequences are few and their content is more emblematic and symbolic than essential. I was able to grasp enough to understand the significance.

Similarly, although I’ve been involved in the business world, both as practitioner and in the role of tax collector, many of the practices exposed in the book were new to me. Of course, this is set in the southern states of the USA, so a degree of fraud and double-dealing was not unexpected. The author makes no moral judgement on the issues raised, but allows readers to come to their own conclusions, which is a stance I heartily applaud.

Also, as an agnostic, albeit raised on the rather loose moral standards of the Church of England, I’m not particularly sympathetic to the church movement as a whole. I felt the author managed very well to convey the inherent hypocrisy and self-imposed blindness of the protagonists as they allowed their actions to declare their true feelings whilst their words frequently hinted at more scriptural concerns. Again, it was left to readers to make their own judgements. In spite of the inclusion of scriptural references, I never felt I was being preached at.

The characters are drawn so well that it’s easy to get to know them and to feel with them. Since such empathy is an essential component of fiction for me, I was able to enjoy the read so much more. Written in the first person, and with occasional ‘mental asides’ that hint at the true state of mind of Charley, this complex and multi-layered piece of fiction reads easily, whilst challenging the reader to make certain judgements, sometimes only to discover that new facts must overturn those conclusions.

A really good read, this. The romance and erotic element will undoubtedly appeal more to women readers, whilst the other components will probably have a stronger appeal for those men who don’t generally read this genre. That sounds sexist, but I’m trying to point out that there’s something here for both genders. I have no qualms in recommending this novel.

En Route to Publication

Fantastic Books Publishing, having viewed my first 3000 words of the adult epic fantasy trilogy, have 

asked to see the whole MS. Fantastic! I know this relatively new publishing venture through a previous association, when I was asked to provide a story for a contest winner’s anthology of speculative fiction. Fusion ran with my story, Rebirth, as a sample of professional sci-fi writing alongside those contest winners.

Now, this publisher is considering my fantasy. A Seared Skyruns to 3 volumes, of course. I’ve already written books 1 and 2 and I long ago drew the map to accompany the story that takes place in my imagined world. Book 3 is well under way, with 8,500 words written so far. Book 1, Joinings, is now under consideration. As you can imagine, I’m delighted, excited, and looking forward to a long and fruitful association with Fantastic Books Publishing.

Many of you will know that I’ve self-published a number of books and may wonder why I’d want to become involved with a publisher for this project. I am a writer. I prefer to use my time to write. Whilst I’m perfectly capable of preparing a book for publication in either eBook format or for POD printing, and even design my own covers, I’d prefer to spend that time in actually writing. All the onerous, for a writer, tasks involved in preparation of a MS for conversion to the formats required for publication will be taken care of by the publisher. Cover design will be devolved to a professional designer, with input from me as author. As for marketing; well, we all know that writers are deeply involved in promoting their own work, however it reaches the readers. The difference will be that I won’t have to design and run the publicity events. I’ll merely have to be involved in promotion. I think that’s a worthwhile sacrifice of the small reduction in royalty this publisher takes for their professional involvement and expertise.

I trust this publisher. They already have a good track record. And I’ve met Daniel Grubb, CEO, through other published writers. Such recommendation is always valuable, I think. So, I look forward to the adoption of the book by Fantastic Books Publishing; by no means a done deal at this stage, but one I hope will come to fruition. I’ll keep you informed of the progress as I take this route to further publication and I’ll let you all know as soon as we have a launch date.

If you have something ready for publication, why not consider this publisher? Have a look at their website and see what they have already produced, see their terms and conditions and maybe try your work with them.  Here’s a link to their website: http://www.fantasticbookspublishing.com/about/

The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, by Duncan Whitehead, Reviewed.

An unusual title for an unusual book. I was unsure what to expect from this book, which as I write this, has been listed as a finalist in the 2013 Readers’ Favourite annual International Award Contest in the humour category. There’s certainly an element of humour in the story and its presentation, and I did laugh out loud quite a lot whilst reading. So, I wish it well in that contest. Comedy isn’t noted for its ability to travel, so my enjoyment of the humour, as a Brit, suggests this one has managed that trick rather well.

If I say that the book is a ‘light’ crime novel, you might get the idea that it is a different type of book than the one I actually read. There is a deal of the minutiae involved in the lives of the many characters, all of whom are well drawn. Lots of detail and some repetition that describes the people and their lives; many of which are about to be changed. Superficial appearances are shown to be misleading. Love and lust are interchangeable for some of the protagonists here and the element of cheating is not uncommon, giving the whole community a slightly seedy feel.

I found myself rooting for some characters, only to discover in later pages that they weren’t the innocents I had first taken them for. The pettiness, selfishness, ambition and deceit of the characters come across well, so that their ultimate fates, initially apparently unjust, become almost desirable.

There are several surprises along the way in this well-plotted novel. I found myself quite convinced I had the identities of villains and victims sorted early on, only to discover that clever wording had fooled me. I enjoyed the read, even if it was a little longer than might have been absolutely essential. I suspect that the inclusion of so much detail was a way of conveying the very ordinariness of the lives that were introduced, only to then prove that these lives were, in fact, not at all ordinary. A good read that I recommend.