Category Archives: Culture

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: IGNORING NOVEMBER – Jane Cable considers NaNoWriMo

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I have to admit to being a NaNoWriMo sceptic. Even their slogan – the world needs your novel – raises a wry smile. Does it? Really? Given the size of the ‘to be read’ piles of just about everyone I know, it probably doesn’t.

But this year – the scheme’s 19th – I couldn’t ignore it. Writers I respect are taking part so was I missing something? The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days with help, support and motivation from the calculators and community on the NaNoWriMo website.

A better slogan for the programme – and one which has come up more than once in conversations with authors taking part – would be ‘don’t get it right, get it written.’ Now that, I can relate to. As RNA New Writers’ Scheme member and veteran of NaNos since 2014 Jan Baynham says: “In 2014 my attempts to write my first novel were taking an age. When all the publicity for NaNo came around, I thought I’d give it a go and set myself a goal of getting up a couple of hours earlier than normal and to try and write every day. Having NaNo buddies was a wonderful support. Seeing the tally of words written each day was another huge motivator. Apart from checking through what I’d written each day, I left serious editing until after NaNo was over. In 2014, I exceeded the 50,000 word goal by a couple of thousand. Did I make that editing stage harder by just writing non-stop for the whole of November? I don’t know but NaNo was one way for me to complete the initial draft of my first ever novel.”

Fellow RNA NWS member Kirsten Hesketh agrees and is making good progress with her first NaNo: “21 days and 34k words and still going strong. I made about every mistake going with my first book, faffing around, editing as I wrote and spending hours polishing passages that didn’t made it into the final cut. So Nano has been very helpful for getting the bones of my second novel on paper. I particularly like three things about Nano (1) committing to writing each day rather than trying to fit it around everything else and thereby not doing it at all; (2) not vetting as all as I write which I think has made me a braver writer (3) the camaraderie, support and shared purpose.”

The camaraderie point is an important one and typical of the writers I know it’s peer motivation rather than peer pressure. Susanna Bavin, author of The Deserter’s Daughter, a saga published by Allison & Busby, has particularly valued this: “What I have specially enjoyed and appreciated is the companionship of a group of online friends. In the November Nano, you can message your buddies through Nano one at a time, so we all got together via Twitter to share one another’s angst.”

The more I look at NaNo, the more I can see that for some writers support and a target over a limited period of time plays a big part in making it happen. However in 2016 less than 10% of those taking part reached the target. Does that necessarily matter? I leave the last word to Choc Lit author Laura E James: “When I discovered the updates that Nano provide, I smiled. After a couple of days of managing 500 words, as opposed to the 1660 plus required to hit the total, Nano informed me I would finish in January. What did I take from that? The fact I would actually finish. I celebrated. I high-fived my daughter. I’d reached a point where I was in danger of never again completing a project, but to see the statistics in black and white helped restore my faith.”

My thanks go to Jan, Kirsten, Susanna and Laura for sharing their thoughts with me.

janbaynham.blogspot.co.uk
 www.susannabavin.co.uk
www.lauraejames.co.uk

IS LIFE INHERENTLY UNSATISFACTORY? By Paul Kwatz, author of Conscious Robots

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Ask a parent “What’s the most important thing in your life?”, and they’ll say “My kids”. This pleases a biologist, who believes that, because humans are the product of evolution, “having children” has to be the most important thing in our lives (after eating and breathing). If it wasn’t, our genes wouldn’t get passed on, and evolution simply wouldn’t work.

But ask a parent “What do you want for your kid when it grows up?”, and the biological angle might be less obvious. “As long as she’s happy…” doesn’t seem to have much to do with survival.

Until we realise that “happiness” is the mechanism that evolution uses to control our choices.

Maybe you didn’t realise that evolution was controlling your choices. Maybe you thought your conscious mind was the thing that was in control. But consider our daily battle to stay thin. “Eat a donut, or go for a run?” The donut gives you pleasure. The running hurts. Why does the donut give you pleasure? Because your brain evolved when calories were scarce. And the running hurts because running uses up those scarce calories.

Pain and pleasure arise from a non-conscious part of your mind that you can’t control. If you could, you’d simply choose to feel great when you were running, and, well, life would be a easier if a donut tasted like a kale shake, wouldn’t it?

We want a nice house because we think it will make us happy, we want to be thin because we feel good when we’re thin, and we want our kids to be happy because, although we encourage them to work hard at school, we’ve got a sneaking suspicion that a great career is no easy ride: it’s only satisfying in direct proportion to the hard work we put in every year.

And we’re right to be suspicious. When humans were evolving, the most successful ones were the ones with the “never-happy-with-what-I’ve-got” gene. They didn’t sit around as soon as they were full of berries, they carried on picking until the bushes were bare, made jam and designed bows and arrows to protect their bounty. It’s why millionaires become billionaires and why movie stars chase another Oscar. They, like all of us, are the descendants of hunter gatherers that were never satisfied: regardless of what we have achieved in life, regardless of our mobile phones, air-conditioning and indoor toilets, life, as Buddha observed, is inherently unsatisfactory.

But the good news is that life is also inherently satisfactory. Because sometimes there’s a drought and the berries don’t grow. And it’s not going to do our genes any good if we sit around moping. Our evolved brains reward us when our situation improves – regardless of how low we have sunk. As long as we’re moving upwards, our brains are happy to hand out the pleasure. It’s what allowed your grandparents to be perfectly happy without phones and why the plains of Africa rang with the laughter of our ancestors. `

‘Conscious Robots: If We Really Had Free Will, What Would We Do All Day’ is out now in print, published by Peacock’s Tail Publishing and priced £4.99 in paperback and £2.99 as an eBook. Visit www.consciousrobots.com or Amazon UK

Four Great Children’s Books For Christmas

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Four wonderful books for children this Christmas. Frost loves them all.

Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz By Michael Morpurgo.

From master storyteller MICHAEL MORPURGO, and illustrated in stunning colour by the award-winning EMMA CHICHESTER CLARK, comes a surprising, charming and uplifting twist on The Wizard of Oz, told by a very special and unforgettable character: Dorothy’s pet dog, Toto. A perfect, collectible gift for all children (and children at heart).

“I was there,” Papa Toto said, and those magic words sent shivers down my spine. It was going to be the Wizard story. “Dorothy and me were both there.”
We were all silent, snuggled up together, waiting, waiting.
Then Papa Toto began…

When a twister descends on their Kansas farm, Toto and his owner Dorothy hide in the house – only to be plucked into the air and whisked away!

Coming down with a crash in the mysterious land of Oz, the pair meet a series of extraordinary characters: a scarecrow who believes he has no brains, a tin man without a heart, and a cowardly lion who may not be as cowardly as he thinks he is.

But Toto and Dorothy are desperate to return home – after all, home is home, and home is best! So they set off with their new friends on a journey down the yellow brick road to find the only person who might be able to help them: the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

But what they find might surprise them. And on the way, all of them will learn that what they think they are missing might have been there, all along…

Beautifully illustrated throughout, this is an unforgettable telling of a classic story, and a must for every bookshelf.

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth By Oliver Jeffers.

The exquisite and thought-provoking new book from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture book creator of Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers.

Well, hello.
And welcome to this Planet.
We call it Earth.

Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else… Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you’ve just got to be kind.

Here We Are is the utterly heartfelt new book from Oliver Jeffers. We’re glad you found it.

Father Christmas Heard a Parp By Olaf Falafel.

The side-splitting festive follow-up to Old MacDonald Heard a Parp, from hilarious picture book superstar, Olaf Falafel.

“Father Christmas heard a parp … E-I-E-I-O!”

Father Christmas is getting ready to deliver the presents – but he keeps getting distracted by some VERY rude noises! Who keeps PARPING?!

Could such a big noise actually be coming from someone rather small…?

More windy fun is in store in this brilliant picture book by the sensational Olaf Falafel. Featuring helpful do-it-yourself instructions so you can parp along to your heart’s content and drive your family nuts during the holidays, it’s set to be the ultimate stocking filler for Christmas 2017! Fans of The Dinosaur That Pooped series will love this tongue-in-cheek Christmas tale. Perfect for ages 4 and up.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas 60th Anniversary Slipcase Edition By Dr Seuss.

The one and only Grinch from the iconic Dr. Seuss gets a brand new look for his 60th birthday, in this collectible slipcase edition with a special introduction all about your favourite Christmas character.

It’s the Grinch’s 60th birthday – and you’re invited to the party.

“The Grinch hated Christmas!
The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why.
No one quite knows the reason…”

With a heart two sizes too small, the Grinch is the meanest creature you’ll ever meet. He hates Christmas and the whole festive season. But when he hatches a dastardly plot to
steal Christmas, he’s in for a big surprise!

With hilarious rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this classic seasonal story has become a favourite for good reason and teaches readers the true meaning of Christmas.

Now in a very special foiled slipcase edition with extra material, this classic story is the perfect gift for boys and girls of all ages.

Transhumanism – The End of Perception By author and conspiracy researcher David Icke

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Mind control is everywhere, but we call it something else – the TV news, political speeches, advertising, PR, education, science, journalism and religion. The list is endless.

Mind control sounds far-out and sci-fi, but all it really means is the control of perception. Control a person’s perception and you control their life. Control collective perception and you control the world. Perception is all. Our perceptions dictate the entirety of what we think, say, and do.

How many form their own perceptions by direct research, compared with those who download them from external sources? The answer, if the truth be told, is comparatively few. These sources peddle agendas which manipulate the human mind, and so human behaviour.

Mass mind control – perception control – is real, and can be confirmed in generation after generation who believed in the reality of so much which was later shown to be blatant nonsense. Most people believe only what they are told to believe.

This has always been so since the few seized control of mass communication. It began with religious zealots and now it’s the global media and internet corporations. As Morpheus might have said in The Matrix: ‘Are those your thoughts you’re thinking now?’

This is bad enough, but we stand at the cusp of something far worse: the end of human perception itself – the end of the human mind. Does this sound extraordinary? Yes, of course it does. But it’s also true.

As smartphone leads to tablet to Bluetooth, smartwatch and microchips (holdables, wearables and implantables) the stated goal of the Devil’s Playground, or Silicon Valley, is to connect the brain to Artificial Intelligence (AI) which will then hijack and override human thought.

There is no attempt to hide this any longer. Witness Google executive and PR man for Frankenstein, Ray Kurzweil, and his contention that humans will have ‘cloud-powered brains’ by 2030:

“Our thinking … will be a hybrid of biological and non-biological thinking … humans will be able to extend their limitations and “think in the cloud” … We’re 

going to put gateways to the cloud in our brains … We’re going to gradually merge and enhance ourselves … In my view, that’s the nature of being human – we transcend our limitations.

“As the technology becomes vastly superior to what we are then the small proportion that is still human gets smaller and smaller and smaller until it’s just utterly negligible.”

Put another way – it’s the end of humanity in any form worthy of the name. The AI manipulators are open about this now because we are told to believe – perceive – that literally losing our minds will make us ‘super-human’. In fact, it will make us sub-human.

‘Our’ perceptions would be only what AI tells us they are, and thus I say we are facing the end of human perception and the dawn of AI perception.

They who control AI would then control every human thought and emotional response. If I asked you who or what does control AI, the reply would be silence. We see the bag-carriers for this nightmare scenario, but who in the shadows are the real architects? Anyone know? Anyone even asked?

We are – again literally – giving our minds away and calling it ‘technological progress’. We are sleepwalking into perceptual oblivion and calling it ‘evolution’.

So who does control AI? The answer will blow your mind – while you still have one.

Everything You Need To Know But Have Never Been Told by David Icke (David Icke Books) is out now, priced £14.99. Visit www.davidicke.com.

 

Win a copy of Everything You Need To Know But Have Never Been Told by David Icke
We have three paperback copies of Everything You Need To Know But Have Never Been Told by conspirarcy researcher David Icke, usually priced £14.99,to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, just email frostmagazine@gmail.com with your name and address. UK applicants only.The three lucky winners will be notified by 16th of December and will receive their prizes shortly

After the Snow By Susannah Constantine Book Review

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We all know Susannah Constantine from her Trinny and Susannah days when she told women what to wear. The careers of the two fashionable women went stratospheric. They both became very successful indeed. When After The Snow reached Frost HQ I was immediately grabbed by the cover. It is beautiful and really encapsulates the book. But a book cannot be judged by its cover alone. Is it any good? Yes and yes again. Susannah Constantine is a writer of great talent. Everything from the story, to the characters, to the observations are just pitch perfect. I loved this novel. It was just superb. I really could not put it down. It was also a window into a world that most people do not get to see. I highly recommend this book. It does not disappoint.

Christmas morning, 1969.

All eleven-year-old Esme Munroe wants for Christmas is for her mother to be on one of her ‘good’ days – and, secretly, for a velvet riding hat. So when she finds an assortment of wet towels and dirty plates in her stocking, she’s just relieved Father Christmas remembered to stop at The Lodge this year.

But later that day Esme’s mother disappears in the heavy snow. Even more mysteriously, only the Earl of Culcairn seems to know where she might have gone. Torn between protecting her mother and uncovering the secrets tumbling out of Culcairn Castle’s ornate closets, Esme realises that life will never be the same again after the snow…

Susannah Constantine provides a rare glimpse into the secret lives of the scandalous upper classes. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown

After the Snow By Susannah Constantine is available here.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: GUILDING THE LILY – Jane Cable meets Book Guild author Sally Jenkins

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How much of your working life does the business of books take up?

Around 40% of my working life is spent on writing and writing-related activities. I work for a multinational IT consultancy three days a week which, in theory, leaves two days for the business of books. In reality, domestic trivia eats into those two days but I try to make up that time on a Saturday morning when I can, plus if I’m aiming at a deadline I will squeeze in an hour’s writing before or after the day job.

What’s your business model to earn a living from writing?

Like most writers, I can’t earn a living solely from writing, hence the three days working in IT. The money I earn from writing comes from several sources, some passive, such as royalties (which I’d like to increase!), and some from sources that require active input. My best-selling ebook is Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners, which is a guiding hand for writers brand new to e-publishing. Earlier this year I updated the book to include some of Amazon’s latest offerings, such as publishing a paperback through Amazon KDP. I sell the occasional story or filler to women’s magazines (Tip: Take a Break are one of the best payers if you have an anecdote that fits their Letters Page). I give talks about my writing to groups such as the Women’s Institute and to libraries. Sometimes I’m paid for the talks (and if I’m really lucky I get a free dinner as well!) but they all give me an opportunity to sell paperback copies of my first grip-lit thriller Bedsit Three and my bumper Coffee Break Story Collection and also to collect email addresses of readers interested in hearing when my next book is out. I’d like to grow this side of the business in order to get a better return on the amount of preparation required to devise a talk. Recently I’ve also been asked to do Kindle and paperback formatting for writers self-publishing on Amazon for the first time. Currently I restrict this to straightforward text-only books but it might be something I choose to grow in the future if giving up the day job becomes a reality.


What do you write and what do you consider to be your major successes?

Over the last few years I’ve gradually moved from short stories to novels. I write grip-lit (psychological thriller meets commercial women’s fiction) and straight commercial women’s fiction. I was elated when Bedsit Three won the Ian Govan Award and, as a result, the novel was published in e-book and paperback format. Another highpoint was The Book Guild recognising the commercial potential of my second grip-lit novel, The Promise, and offering me a place on their partnership publishing program. The partnership means we both invest in the publication costs and The Book Guild’s marketing arm is behind me, selling into bookshops, generating media publicity etc. We share the royalties. The Promise will be published on 28th January 2018 and I’m very excited!

Tell me about your latest project.

I’m working on my third grip-lit novel. I’m fascinated by how past events can impact our current lives. For example, in Bedsit Three the upbringing of one of the characters drives his destructive behaviour. In The Promise there are serious repercussions for something the heroine did three decades earlier. In my current work-in-progress, the protagonist wants revenge against someone who stole his girlfriend when they were teenagers.

 

Sally Jenkins writes grip-lit and commercial women’s fiction. She lives with her husband in Sutton Coldfield and has two grown-up daughters. Find out more about Sally and follow her blog at https://sally-jenkins.com/ or follow her on Twitter @sallyjenkinsuk or on Amazon.

 

What are the Essential Ingredients for a Gritty Crime Novel?

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The crime thriller genre has always been a big seller. It has evolved over the years along with readers’ tastes. A few decades ago it was all about slick gangster flicks, driven by a morbid nostalgia for criminals like Capone, Dillinger and the Kray twins. At the turn of the century the gritty crime thriller ruled and now, thanks to a collective obsession with Nordic noir, that genre is making a return.

But what makes for the quintessential gritty crime novel? Here, author Eli Yance, whose new novel Consequences is best described as a high-octane blend of classic Brit gangster flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Get Carter and Sexy Beast, provides his top tips.

Humour

I am a firm believer that there should be humor in every genre. I write comedy novels under a different pen name, so I’m a little biased, but it’s something that has worked for me in every genre. In horror, it’s a great tool to help move the story along, keeping the reader interested before you get to the scary parts. In the crime genre, it can help the reader to associate more with the protagonist and the story—it just makes everything feel a little more realistic.

Humour helps to break down barriers. It’s why we use it to break the ice; it’s why we use it more when we’re anxious and it’s why it works so well in introducing readers to characters in a story.

Multiple Stories

The best crime stories involve a multitude of characters and storylines and they invite the reader into each of these. Writing the story from multiple perspectives, following completely different trajectories and then bringing them all together in the end is the best way to keep the story interesting.

It also allows the author to tell the same story from different perspectives, bringing multiple protagonists into the same narrative and ultimately reaching a climax where they all clash.

The Unexpected

Most stories are better with a twist and it’s almost a necessity for this genre. It doesn’t have to be big but it should leave the reader guessing. Just make sure it’s not clichéd and it’s not disappointing. A reader can love your writing style and your

story, but if they arrive at an ending that lets them down, they’re going to hate the book.

I find that the best way to write a twist ending is to just see where the story takes you, stop when you reach the climax and then let a few friends read it. Ask them how they think it will end and how they think it should end and then write an ending that none of them mentioned.

If you can throw a few twists in as you are building towards the climax, even better.

A Bad Good Guy

If all the bad guys are funny and entertaining and the protagonist is a clean-cut detective, it’s just not going to work. The readers won’t side with someone who goes by the book. The best protagonists are always flawed, because that makes them more relatable, but in gritty crime novels those flaws should be bigger and more obvious.

You don’t want to create a psychopath who has little regard for human life and literally does what he or she wants. But readers are always happy to get behind someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, gets angry and violent when the bad guys get their way and is always prepared to bend the rules. It’s a cliché, yes, but for a reason.

 

Consequence by Eli Yance (Skyhorse Publishing) is out now, priced £12.99 in paperback. Visit Amazon UK.

 

 

25 Things Every New Mom Should Know: Essential First Steps for Mothers

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This little book is full of lots of great information. Being a first time mother is very scary and this book will definitely help. It is American, so some of the vernacular is more for that audience. Some of the advice will not suit all mothers too, like the stuff on baby-wearing and co-sleeping. I did this but it will not fit into everyone’s life. I do recommend this however. It is well-written and  very helpful indeed.

Becoming a new mother is a time of joy, hope, and sometimes a little uncertainty.

In this warm and heartfelt book, America’s most-trusted childcare experts help brand-new moms meet the challenges and changes of motherhood with reassuring advice on how to bring out the best in their babies, and themselves. Above all, they encourage new mothers to trust their own instincts and thoroughly enjoy their new babies.

25 Things Every New Mom Should Know: Essential First Steps for Mothers