Jan 16 2016

Celebrating the ‘playpen’

headcover

I’m a member of a golf club. And contrary to popular belief amongst non-golfers, that doesn’t mean I’m a posh git with more money than sense. For one thing, the club is at a municipal course – so the annual membership fee is on a modest scale…not the price of a new Mercedes. (Okay, so non-golfers, feel free to leave out the ‘posh’ and make a comment about ‘a good walk wasted’.)

I mention this because while I was recuperating from my recent hysterectomy operation I received Get Well cards from some of the women in the club.

When I read the handwritten message in the one from our current oldest member (80), I was in danger of bursting my stitches. She’d had this operation many years before and apparently a nurse told her: “Don’t worry, dear…the cradle is gone, but the playpen’s still there.”

I was thinking about her the other day, not just because the comment in her card still makes me smile, but mainly with all the talk about the film ‘Carol’ and the fuss about it not being nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. (Hollywood misogyny – or just plain old fear of celebrating lesbians living happily ever after?)

Anyway, my 80 year old golf friend would have grown up in the post-World War II era and lived her whole life with the understanding that you didn’t talk about your sexuality. Although I know she’s a lesbian and she knows I am, we’ve never discussed it. It’s not something we mention while chasing that little ball around a field or in the bar after the round.

However, she has now discovered lesfic. And I’m proud to say it is through me. A surprising (to me, anyway) number of straight women at the club have read my books. And one of them passed on her paperback copies to this older woman.

Before I went into hospital I got a phone call from her. She’d looked at the ‘Other Books’ section at the end of one of my books and asked if she would be able to buy any of these in a bookstore. I told her they could only be ordered online and as she doesn’t have a computer, I could do that for her.

Well, I haven’t heard from her since she received those three books. There were fairly explicit sex scenes in one of them, so maybe she’s busy. After all, she still has a ‘playpen’.

Right, well on that note, I’m going to sign off. Maybe go to the driving range and see if I can remember how to hit a ball.

The Oscars usually pass me by as I don’t know many of the films, but this year I will be rooting for the Shaun the Sheep movie to win Best Animated Film. As for Carol, my prediction is that it will win the Best Costume Design award. (This will no doubt be a revelation for those in Hollywood who still think lesbians only wear dungarees and check shirts – so it’s a breakthrough of sorts.)

Coming soon: Book III of The Starling Hill Trilogy (and the re-release of the first two books)

FB-cover-image-trilogy

Publications:

Arc Over Time – available from Affinity eBook Press /Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Bella Books / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes

Starting Over – available from Affinity eBook Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books / Smashwords / iTunes.

Short Stories

There Was a Time and The Christmas Sweepstake – both available FREE on the Affinity website

Jan 9 2016

Long nights and new covers

The nights are getting shorter, but slowly it seems. I always think that January feels like the longest month. There’s the come down after Christmas and New Year festivities, the weather is dismal and we’re still getting up in the dark and going to bed in the dark. Spring and summer are distant memories (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway).

I don’t think I would diagnose myself as a SAD person suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (no surprise that the support organisation is based in the UK). But I do find myself looking forward to brighter days…and a holiday in Tenerife.

And I really don’t have anything to be sad about. I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break with my wife and friends who we meet up with every year. Our home has survived the floods that have devastated homes and businesses in the area where we live. And I have two novels being published in February and March.

A happy dance is in order, I think.

The first book, due out on February 14, is the third and final installment of the Starling Hill Trilogy. As I have mentioned before I didn’t set out to write a trilogy. My first published novel, Starting Over, had a definite ending. Or so I thought at the time. But there were two characters in particular whose stories weren’t quite finished. Arc Over Time developed their relationship and it could all have ended with that book. But, no, someone else in the story felt they needed a resolution.

It was a matter of ‘if these bones could talk’…and talk they did. While I was mulling over this idea, there were discussions going on about where Richard III should be reburied. The discovery of his bones under a car park in Leicester was a media sensation, not just in the UK, but also around the world.

My royal personage, whose bones were uncovered in Starting Over and put on display at the British Museum in Arc Over Time, wanted a reburial as well. (As one of the characters in the story remarks – “Has she been watching the news?”)

Carved in Stone brings all this to the fore, along with further developments in the lives of the living characters.

All three books are being released on 14 February (re-releases of the first two) under the banner of ‘The Starling Hill Trilogy’. As Starling Hill is the name of the farm where it all started, it seemed an appropriate title for the series.

So, here it is – the big cover reveal – of not just one, but two books…the new one, Carved in Stone and Arc Over Time, which has had a makeover. (I like to think it’s a Hogwarts-type picture – one character has wandered off and another taken her place.)

Publications:

Arc Over Time – available from Affinity eBook Press /Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Bella Books / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes

Starting Over – available from Affinity eBook Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books / Smashwords / iTunes.

Short Stories

There Was a Time and The Christmas Sweepstake – both available FREE on the Affinity website

Sep 25 2015

Good news and interviews

A trilogy!

I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to announce that Affinity has agreed to publish another one of my novels – and it is part of a series!

When I began writing Starting Over, my debut novel, I had no idea I would go on to write a second and then, believe it or not, a third. OMG – a trilogy! (That was my sister’s reaction.)

The storylines for the second book, Arc Over Time, came into my mind almost immediately after I’d finished Starting Over. And not long after that one ended, I started thinking about the third, which is currently titled Carved in Stone – which were the last three words in Arc Over Time.

The impetus for the main storyline in Carved in Stone was the plans for the re-burial of Richard III’s bones. The city of Leicester laid on an impressive ceremony, which was televised – finally giving the much-maligned king a public send off worthy of his status. Benedict Cumberbatch, a distant relative, read out the poem written for the occasion by our Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy – which I found very moving – particularly this line: “Grant me the carving of my name.”

My story involves a royal personage whose bones are discovered at a remote hilltop farm in the first book, Starting Over. I was fortunate to come across an historical figure not much is known about, so I could make things up. She disappears from view after losing power, and nothing is known about where she ended her days. So, a farm on the moors above Huddersfield in West Yorkshire seemed as good a place as any.

In Arc Over Time, the bones and other artefacts are being displayed at the British Museum. As part of the exhibition, life-like 3D heads are created of the queen and her female lover. (Another departure from historical record, but something worth exploring, I thought.)

In Carved in Stone, Ellie Winters, the owner of the farm where the bones were found, becomes entranced by the image of the queen and starts to have conversations with her.

Historians haven’t been kind to this woman who was leader of the largest tribe in Britain in the first century. And she, too, it seems, feels she deserves to have a lasting monument; for her remains to be treated with dignity and honour.

I’m pleased this story is being published as I feel it completes the journey that began in Starting Over. As with the first two books, Carved in Stone is also a rollercoaster ride for the characters. And writing this book gave me the chance to give Jo Bright Flame – the owner of the camper van and a dog called Harry – an opportunity to find love, as she hadn’t had much luck in that department in the first two books.

GCLS Nomination
Another cause for celebration this week: I was notified that Arc Over Time has been nominated for a Goldie award in the Dramatic/General Fiction category! I really had an amazing time at this year’s GCLS conference and I have already booked for next year.

Live interview

The podcast of my interview with London-based author Clare Lydon is now live on the My Lesbian Radio website. Clare is a brilliant interviewer and I really enjoyed our conversation. During the interview we covered a lot of the usual topics concerned with writing and how I got started, but somehow veered into visiting sex shops with my mother. With that out of the way, Clare asked if I planned to work in either of my hobbies – golf and archery – into my stories. I had to say they haven’t really featured yet. So, I’ll leave you with a photo of this fine sculpture of an archer, taken during a visit to Helmsley Castle this summer.

If you haven’t read them yet, here are the links to my first two books:

Arc Over Time – available from Affinity eBook Press /Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Bella Books / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes

Starting Over – available from Affinity eBook Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books / Smashwords / iTunes.

Sep 17 2015

A day out

Last Saturday saw the inaugural Lesbian Authors Festival take place at the Hideaway café in Manchester. The venue is perfect for intimate readings and I was pleased to have been invited to take part. Seven authors participated and we had an audience of about twenty people. The organisers had given us each a ten-minute reading slot with time for questions for each author after their reading. I wasn’t as nervous as I had been for my first public reading at the GCLS Conference in July, so I managed to do it without losing my voice.

There was also time for a Q&A panel session with all the authors after the readings. And a bookstall had been set up so we could display our books and hopefully entice someone to buy one.

I enjoyed the interaction with the other authors and the audience. During the panel discussion there was an interesting exchange of views about how much sex readers either wanted or expected in this particular genre of lesfic.

All in all, a good day out. I sold a paperback of Starting Over and later, via Facebook, someone who had been at the reading mentioned they’d read this book and enjoyed it. I let her know that the sequel, Arc Over Time, is available. A few days later, I received a message from her saying she’d bought it and read it very quickly, wanting to find out what happened. She then posted this lovely comment on Amazon:

“So beautifully written this is a heartwarming tale of love and passion that had me reading until dawn to finish it.”

It is this kind of feedback that helps us writer-types to keep going.

And, speaking of Arc Over Time, Diana Prince interviewed two of the characters for the Affinity eBooks blog and the transcript of that interview is available here. As with anything involving Kathryn and Denise, it doesn’t go as smoothly as planned.

Finally, just because I like it, here’s a photo I took from the airplane window as we were approaching Copenhagen on our visit there two weeks ago.

Arc Over Time – available from Affinity eBook Press /Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Bella Books / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes

Starting Over – available from Affinity eBook Press / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Bella Books / Smashwords / iTunes.

Jun 6 2015

Confessions of a Con Virgin

In July I’m attending the GCLS Conference in New Orleans. This is a first for me in a number of ways.

I’ve never attended a literary event as a published author. The events I’ve been to as a reader are few and far between. In 1985 I went to a Science Fiction festival in Toronto. My main objective was to see Ursula K LeGuin read and I still have a precious signed copy of The Left Hand of Darkness. The only other event was the Hay-on-Wye festival held each year in a small town on the Wales side of the Welsh/English border. The main attractions at that event were Ruth Rendell and Beryl Bainbridge – back in the mists of time, I can’t remember the year, but I think it was the late eighties. We couldn’t get near Ruth Rendell, but Beryl was sitting at a corner table of the pub we went into, and I was too shy to go over and talk to her. I wish now that I had plucked up the courage.

Doing a public reading is another first. I’ve only ever read bits of my work in the safe environment of creative writing classes. This is going to be nerve-wracking as I’m in very prestigious company – the other authors reading on Friday morning after the break are: Pat Cronin, Lee Lynch, A L Duncan and Riley Adair Garret. So, wish me luck, folks.

Being on a panel – not just one, two! (When I volunteer, I go all the way!)

The first is on Thursday afternoon. I hope I’m well over any jetlag by then. The topic is “Do I have to go outside? Research at the Desk and in the Field.” Again I’m in august company with Stacia Seaman as moderator and fellow panelists Cheyne Curry, Rachel Gold, Sandra Moran and Justine Saracen.

The second panel is on Saturday afternoon when a group of debut authors get to talk about their books. The title of the session is “So, I had this idea…” Our moderator is Karin Kallmaker, so I may well have fainted before it’s my turn to speak. The other panelists are: Kris Bryant, C d Cain, Sandy Duggar, A L Duncan, and Laina Villeneuve.

Visiting New Orleans is also a first. My forays into the US have mainly been in the northern parts as I lived in Canada for many years. The furthest south I’ve been is probably Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara – and that was in winter. All advice welcome for someone used to cooler summer weather. I’m not sure how I will cope with the sizzling heat. Probably by staying inside with the aircon.

My publisher will also be at the conference. So it’s a chance to meet the members of the Affinity team in person for the first time as well.

A little over six weeks to go before it all kicks off. I’m looking forward to meeting the many wonderful people I’ve met via Facebook, and nerves about public speaking aside, the opportunities offered by the conference to expand my horizons both as a writer and a reader.

This photo represents what I will look like – either before or after the reading and panel sessions. (And when I will no longer be a con virgin!)

Arc Over Time, released by Affinity eBooks in May 2015 – available from Affinity eBooks /Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Bella Books / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iTunes

My debut novel, Starting Over – available from Affinity eBook Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bella Books,Smashwords, and iTunes.

Apr 24 2015

“Never start a novel with dialogue.”

I’ve seen this listed many times as one of the top ten rules for how not to start a story. And I can understand the reason why. Readers don’t know who the characters are, so why will they care enough to read on with a bit of random dialogue thrown at them in the first sentence.

(I’ve also been warned about starting sentences with ‘And’. All in all, I’m not very good at following the rules.)

So my second novel, Arc Over Time, starts this way:

“She calls, you go running.” Jasmine looked at her friend in disgust. “Aren’t you fed up being second best?”

Now, I suppose the purists could construe this as a disastrous beginning. But I like to leap straight into a scene and as this book is a sequel, my thought is that most readers will have read the first one, Starting Over. They will, therefore, have an inkling who Jasmine is and the relationship she’s referring to. The following paragraphs give more background information and, right or wrong, I felt that this opening was the best way to introduce the reader to the story.

Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think. Was this a good way to start, or not?

The first chapter is available to read on the Affinity website. (Arc Over Time will be released as an ebook on 15 May 2015.)

Starting Over is available from Affinity eBook Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bella Books, Smashwords, and iTunes.

Mar 29 2015

A new book and a new cover

I’m pleased to now be able to show off the cover for my second novel, due out in May. Thanks to another sterling job by Irish Dragon Designs, I feel this cover conveys exactly the tone I was looking for.

Arc Over Time is a continuation of the story in my first book, Starting Over. The characters didn’t want to let go and it’s not surprising.

Dr Kathryn Moss, professor of archaeology, has much to think about. The job offers are flowing in after her exciting archaeological discoveries at Starling Hill the previous year. Now she has choices to make that could jeopardise her relationship with Denise Sullivan, the fiery journalist, who has become her lover.

Den has her own worries. She feels they have moved beyond the casual sex stage to something more like a true relationship. However, she’s not sure how to handle Kathryn’s continuing infatuation with Ellie Winters, the beguiling owner of Starling Hill farm.

Arc Over Time is a journey of discovery for all involved. I hope you will be tempted to come along for the ride.

The first chapter is available to read on the Affinity website.

Starting Over is available from Affinity eBook Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bella Books, Smashwords, and iTunes.

Mar 13 2015

I sold a book today – and this is news – why?

Because, of all the cafés in all the world, I chose to walk into this one at eleven o’clock in the morning. Taking a break from writing, I had just popped in for a small cappuccino. Only one customer was sitting at a table across from the counter and as soon as I came in asked, ‘What do you think of men?’

Only one answer occurred to me in that moment – ‘I don’t think of them.’ The two young women who work there laughed, nervously.

It turned out there had just been an incident with a man. The female customer, a visitor from the US, had asked if he could read what was on the monthly newsletter that advertises what’s happening in town. The print is so small on this paper that I’m sure no one can read it without a magnifying glass. Obviously he couldn’t, so one of the girls told him to put his glasses on. And he went off on one. Very loudly. Telling her, with appropriate exaggerated hand gestures that she shouldn’t be putting him DOWN, she should be building him UP. And then he stormed out. It turns out he works there and his co-workers weren’t at all surprised by his behaviour.

However, as a result of this the American woman was declaiming that ‘Men are the new women’ – which is all very well as a catch phrase – except that I feel it’s an insult to women.

Anyway I started chatting to her, asking where she was from, who she was visiting. Then she said how she liked Hebden Bridge because it was full of artistic types. She asked me what I did and for the first time in my life (in a public place anyway) I said, “I’m a writer.”

“Oh, wow! What do you write?”

As it happened, a paperback copy of my novel was sitting on the café bookshelf. They have selection of books that customers can either read with their coffee or buy to take away and I had donated a copy of Starting Over for this purpose. So I found it and gave it to her to look at. Then I sat at the table next to hers and we talked some more. She said she would like to buy my book and I was able to tell her that it was available from the bookshop across the road.

After we’d paid for our coffees, and she asked another customer take a photo of her and myself with the staff, we went across to the shop. She bought my book and I signed it for her.

Outside on the street we hugged and said goodbye.

I walked back home in the sunshine and thought about this unexpected encounter and the joy it brought into my life. I hope reading my book brings some joy into hers.

Jan 22 2015

What’s in a word?

I received some useful feedback on my novel from two American readers. They said there were a few expressions and words that were unfamiliar to them. They were able to work out the meaning from the context of the story. Anyway, I thought I would share these ones that they made particular note of (apologies and warning of bad language):

1. ‘scraping away like buggery’ (Note – this isn’t something I would say myself, but it seemed to fit the character who said it – photo here shows me in the act)

2. ‘lay by’ – this may be something peculiar to British roads. It’s often a small area with just enough room for one or two cars to park off the road – possibly to look at the view (quaint euphemism for taking a toilet break). Some lay bys, on very narrow roads, are meant as passing places so you can pull in to let another vehicle past. I would be interested to know if there is an American equivalent.

3. ‘stop taking the piss and I might tell you’ – I guess they managed to work out that this meant stop making fun of me.

The word that always throws me when I read American books is ‘pissed’. Now I know that this means ‘angry’ or ‘upset’. To a British reader though, it means ‘drunk’.

If anyone would like to add to cross-cultural use of words and their perceived meanings, please leave a comment.

Jan 17 2015

The Cover Question

I’ve seen some discussion threads recently about covers. Do you judge a book by its cover? Some people say they do, some don’t. Some say they read the blurb and the reviews to make their buying decision. But then it’s also pointed out that the reviews can’t be trusted. Others say the cover doesn’t matter because if you read an ebook, the cover isn’t seen, once you’ve purchased it and start reading.

So this is all very baffling for a newly published author. I’ve been told that Starting Over is a good story and most of those who have read it, enjoyed it. But perhaps the cover isn’t attracting people to it. The story is a lesbian romance, so shouldn’t it at least have two sexy looking women making out on the cover? With all the books available why would anyone choose this one?

For me, the cover works. I took the photo that is the background image and suggested it could be used as it was taken in the place where the main part of the story is set. And then the choice of the image of the woman on the motorbike, gazing over the scene – this represents an actual scene in the book. And it was an important turning point for this character. The imagery on the cover fits with both the story and the title.

The woman on the bike is Robin Fanshawe. Of all the characters in the book, she is the one most likely to be hated, at least at the beginning of the story. After all, she cheats on her lover, Ellie Winters. And as Ellie is portrayed as such a wonderful woman, why would she do that? Could I really expect readers to buy into Ellie being a doormat for so long?

But at the start of the story, this situation is set to change fairly rapidly. All the main players end up at the farm in the first two chapters and set in motion the events that follow. One reviewer described it as having elements of a French farce about it.

Throughout the story there is humour, there is heartache – it’s a romance after all – and in the end there is happiness. What more could you ask for?