It’s less than a week until I’ll be running a workshop at the Bournemouth Writing Festival. I’ll be sharing my experience of winning a publication contract with Bloodhound Books after entering a pitch competition for The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. The workshop will include tips and hints for anyone wishing to develop skills in online pitching of a manuscript. The event is a new one on the Dorset writing scene and the programme has grown considerable since the inaugural year in 2023. I’m pleased to be delivering on Sunday 28 April 2024 alongside writing friends Paula Harmon and Alice Fowler. Do check out the full programme!
Cyprus has one of the oldest recorded histories in the world including many episodes of invasion and settlement. It was claimed by Alexander the Great in the fourth century and then came under Roman possession. In 1191, Richard the Lionheart took control while on crusade. He later sold the island to Lusignans who ruled for 300 years. It then fell under the Ottomans until the British arrived in 1878. Shown below (from top left clockwise) are some of the historical places I enjoyed most. The Cyprus Museum in South Nicosia (Lefkosia) boasts this semicircle of terracotta figures from the seventh century BC showing tall warrriors at the back reducing in size down to tiny demon-servants and snakes. We enjoyed a few hours at the ancient city of Salamis which had all the trappings of a Roman settlement including a colonnaded Palaestra (middle). The ruins of the medieval abbey at Bellapais were very evocative (much more so than the now dilapidated house where Lawrence Durrell wrote about life on the island in Bitter Lemons of Cyprus). Poor Hippolytos looks embarrassed while reading the love letter from his stepmother Phaedra in this wonderful mosaic at Pafos.
Food and drink
The Cypriot diet is somewhat determined by whether you’re in the north or the south of the island. In the north it’s possible to get slightly bitter black Turkish tea, whereas in the south you can easily order a pot of Earl Grey. The photos show a seafood platter served in Polis, a feta and dill scone taken in the garden of a north Nicosia bookshop, a cake from a patisserie in Famagusta, a market stall supporting the Mediterranean diet, an Turkish coffee served with a glass of water, Ottoman sherbet (and under the middle pot were two cubes of Turkish delight).
I purchased a Book Spa as a birthday gift for my daughter in 2023. It’s been a long time coming (I reserved a place for myself too) and we finally made the trip to Mr B’s in Bath this week. The Book Spa involves chatting with a member of the bookselling team over tea and cake to gain an idea of our interests. Nethmi then collected a tower of books for us to browse. (The Reading Spa includes £60 to spend on books, plus a Mr B’s mug and cloth bag and a £10 gift card for future purchases.) Here is the stash of books I chose.
I went with a broad range of requests (and likewise my daughter) but these are the books I took away with me:
A novel written in second person: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid. A riveting tale of one man’s journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon.
I thought 2023 was eventful but this year is turning out to be even more so. I’m delighted to share the news that my daughter and her husband are expecting a son in May. When our first grandchild arrives, we’ve been asked us to block out a month to help. This feels like an incredible privilege and we look forward to spending time with the family in Keynsham. Meanwhile, we have a 3-week backpacking holiday in Cyprus, a fortnight in Edinburgh and my mum’s 90th birthday to celebrate in April.
Me and Izzy on a recent trip to the Cotswolds.
David is in the process of clearing his aunt’s flat ready to sell it and fund her care home place. Fortunately, she’s very happy in the care home and it’s a joy to visit her and listen to her positive response to aging with good physical health, family around her and the excellent meals provided. We will be spending more time in Exmouth over the summer to finish work on the flat.
The manuscript of my latest novel is almost ready for submitting to agents and publishers. I was in the same position two years ago and it took ten months to secure a deal. I’m going to use the same approach as before. I’ve compiled a list of where to send the manuscript and will work through it by sending out submissions in batches. In the last few weeks, I’ve been polishing the opening chapters and was keen to look back to see how the first paragraph had changed during the latest revisions. The essence remains the same but little tweaks have meant the writing is tighter. Here are the paragraphs for you to compare:
July 2023, Slingback Resort
Moonlight slid through the full-length windows and illuminated the trail of their abandoned clothes across the hotel bedroom floor. Night came early in the southern hemisphere and Ashley anticipated the rest of their evening. She wanted to enjoy drinks on the terrace but it wasn’t the right time to suggest the idea. Instead, she straightened the pillow in its white cotton case and rested against it. The air conditioning pumped cool waves across their naked bodies and she longed to share the warmth emanating from James’s skin. Inhaling the briny smell of sex and sweat, Ashley moved closer and placed her head into the nook between his chin and shoulder. A sigh made her slump closer.
November 2023, Three Couples
Moonlight slunk into the hotel room and Ashley noticed how it illuminated the trail of abandoned clothes across the marble floor. James had cracked her open like a nut. She stretched on top of rucked cotton sheets until a tap on her shoulder registered. His index finger commanded that she tuck her head into the nook between his shoulder and chin. She settled into place there, and found the musky smell of him soothing. James sighed as the tension he carried evaporated. It was the same for her. She enjoyed a momentary sense of relaxation but then heat from his body pulsed and she was glad of cool bursts from the air conditioning unit.
I’m one of those people who struggle with Christmas. It’s a legacy from my childhood when money was tight, my father always drank too much and everyone made an effort to have a good time. Since my own children have grown up, it’s become a lot easier and we’ve introduced new Christmas traditions which I really enjoy like the 9am Christmas morning parkrun along Weymouth seafront. I also love visiting Weymouth on Boxing Day to see children riding their new bicycles and scooters. This year, the sea glinted silver under leaden clouds and was absolutely beautiful.
The new addition to our Christmas celebrations is Truffle, my daughter’s puppy. She’s still in training and tries very hard not to jump up, steal newspapers or lick everything off the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, my husband was clearing up his wine making kit (as if there isn’t enough to do on Christmas eve) when Truffle guzzled a few elderberries. My daughter was worried and rang the emergency vet who recommended a visit to the practice in Bournemouth. They duly set off but avoided a consultation charge by ringing a special phone number to be told Truffle hadn’t eaten enough elderberries to poison her.
My husband always cooks the Christmas dinner (my contribution is making red cabbage in the slow cooker). It was a splendid meal followed by music (I can play Jingle Bells on the piano – thanks to learning how to read a few notes on Duolingo‘s music programme) and singing – I just had to share with everyone my karaoke performance of Killing Me Softly which (after hours of practice), I’ve finally nailed. Well, the first verse anyway.
As for writing, I’ve submitted the opening 25,000 words of my new novel to Kate Nash’s mentoring BookCamp 2024. I thought I’d have it finished before Christmas but there was more to do than I’d anticipated. Several 6am starts and I sent it off yesterday. Hurray! (Now I need to go through the rest of the novel with a fine-tooth comb.)
I’ll close with a couple of Christmas snaps and greetings to you and yours for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024.
Apologies for the extended gap between posts. Behind the scenes I’ve been busy working on my latest novel – and also a couple of pitches which I submitted as part of Bookouture’s annual pitch party on 5 December. Here are two pitches I submitted for a novel which has the working title The Upgrade.
MORIARTY x CLARK-PLATTS
During a holiday on a remote tropical island, a woman gets caught up in tensions between the local population and rich tourists. The husband she should be able to trust is the reason she’s a target. Can she escape the ensuing danger?
FOLEY x THE WHITE LOTUS
Three mismatched couples form a competitive friendship while on holiday. Amongst the flirt, the bully and the show-off is somebody with a secret. Temperatures rise and storms threaten. Who’s to blame when one of the group goes missing?
If you’d like to help me out with a little market research, please let me know in the comments which pitch you prefer. There’s another opportunity coming up with Kate Nash Literary Agency for their 2024 Bootcamp Mentorship and I’d like to get my ducks in a row.
Yesterday I was invited to join Sampford Courtenay Novel Writers to talk about The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. It was a really fun morning where I got to share lots of tips and tricks for completing a novel. If you’d like me to attend your writing or book group (so long as it’s accessible from Dorset or London), please let me know.
It’s been weeks since my last blog post and my only excuse is that I’ve been travelling again. I was fortunate to deliver input at the Mani Lit Fest in Greece where the wonderful historical fiction author Carol McGrath was my host. Don’t miss out on her latest title The Stolen Crown, a fascinating story from medieval history featuring the Empress Matilda – and only 99p for a kindle at the moment. Below is a photo of me preparing to deliver a workshop about writing a successful pitch for entry into online pitch parties and in this way attract the interest of agents and publishers. I also delivered a talk about research relating to The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. Thanks to everyone who has read the novel and a big bonus thank you to everyone who has rated and/or reviewed the book.
David and I had a splendid time in the Mani. For me, the highlights included taking part in a yoga session by the sea (with fabulous author Deborah Swift for company) and an amazing sunset along the coast.
We returned to one of my favourite places called Gerolimenas (you can read about my first visit here) and managed a couple of walks – one involved scaling a mountain and the other was a cliff top walk. Here’s a photo of the beautiful harbour of Gerolimenas which was a thriving place in the 1870s when it supplied over 7000 quails a month to diners in Paris.
One of the joys of writing a commercial novel is reaching a wider audience. The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell hit the Amazon top 100 bestselling titles in women’s psychological fiction and thus my book was introduced to many new readers.
In the 10 weeks since release, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell has notched up 140 ratings on Amazon including many positive words and one ⭐ review. Here it is:
I have to admit, this review did take the wind out of my sails and it made me wonder if some reviewers enjoy being nasty. I read out of my comfort zone much of the time and can always find something to admire in the work. At the risk of seeming to stalk Bakewell Tart, I did check out her other ⭐ book reviews and noticed similar wording used in a review for an author who had secured over 3,000 favourable ratings. It did make me question her judgement and whether Fruitcake might be a better name.
One of the joys of social media is the chance to meet other writers online. In response to a tweet/X where I offered an interview on The Writer is a Lonely Hunter, I was delighted to be contacted by Lucy S Johnson. I found the title of her most recent work The Sizewell Murders intriguing and I was pleased to read an excerpt. Here’s a little more information about Lucy and her work.
About Lucy
Lucy S Johnson writes crime fiction under the name of Ellis Johnson. This includes the Mary Slacker novelette duology (featuring an ensemble cast of chattering class wannabes) and her forthcoming D C I Doggett series – kicking off with ‘The Sizewell Murders’ (where a rotating cast of criminals, set in sleepy Suffolk, confront murder most foul against the backdrop of the construction of a new nuclear power facility in the area).
Writing Career: Lucy began writing seriously at about thirteen. In 1995, she started the first draft of a story about crazy film students, which would become her first novel, a retelling of Michael Powell’s ‘Peeping Tom’, featuring an array of officers, detectives, and a hapless web designer facing the bewildering prospect of online dating with catastrophic and deadly results.
Suffolk is also the setting for Lucy’s upcoming series of D C I Woolley mysteries. Novels such as her forthcoming ‘Ghost Car’ are set in or near to Beccles, while other books include a variety of different settings, in particular North London.
Lucy currently resides in Bungay, Suffolk, on her own without so much as a cat. She is a boat owner, reader, movie lover, and can actually play the guitar!
About The Sizewell Murders
In ‘The Sizewell Murders’, indie writer Lucy S Johnson redefines the crime genre for the 21st century. She takes all the well-worn but much-loved tropes fans will recognise and gives them a new spin that update the time-honoured staples of the genre. A grizzled old copper (DCI Doggett) is tempted out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a beautiful young girl (Cora – the chief nimby’s cleaner). As Simon tries to clinch the deal his problems seem to multiply – are his spoilt, rich daughters involved or implicated, can his marriage survive the strain?! In doing so she meets the high standards that all crime fans will expect – the cherry on the cake is that her writing is hilarious and she is having the time of her life as an author.
Join Lucy on her writer’s journey.
And now, onto the Q & A:
GA: What got you started as a writer?
I started a few years back – I found out that it was possible to publish your own work and promote it via Amazon in conjunction with social media channels. I just got on with it.
the writer is a lonely hunter 