Category Archives: Featured

My Writing Process | Rosanna Ley

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How I write.

A big question! To be brief… Once I have a detailed synopsis I tend to write each new scene longhand in a notebook and then edit it as I get it on to the computer. More edits follow and then I move on to the next scene. Once I get to the end of the book I’ll go back for more editing and consider if I’ve got the structure right. Final edits are about fine tuning and polishing.

I’ve written all my life and also done a lot of teaching of creative writing here and abroad with a particular interest in both novels and life-writing for therapeutic practice. I moved to West Dorset, my ‘soul-home’ seven years ago and find it inspirational and peaceful. I love travelling and my books are always based in foreign climes as well as either Dorset or Cornwall or occasionally somewhere else in the UK. I like to think of the books as mainly relationship driven – I’m very interested in people!

What you have written, past and present.

I’ve written 8 books for Quercus including The Villa and Bay of Secrets as well as numerous short stories and articles.

What you are promoting now. 

The Lemon Tree Hotel out in paperback 13th June 2019.

Do you plan or just write?

Plan. I do a lot of planning which gives me a good structure to come back to if I then decide to go off piste. Organic writing is lovely and spontaneous but it tends to require a lot of editing…

What about word count?

My books are between 115,000 and 130,000 words long and they always turn out that way…

How do you do your structure?

Before I begin, I think about timeline, viewpoint and narrative tension and decide on the main structure of the novel. I’ll change it if it doesn’t seem to be working. I don’t work to any kind of formula in terms of narrative arcs and points of tension – I don’t want my books to become formulaic and prefer to trust to my instincts.

What do you find hard about writing?

I may have lots of ideas but it’s often hard to form these into an outline that will give me a sufficiently strong story-line (or two) and which will work on all the levels I need it to work. Structural editing can also be very difficult and requires a lot of clear head-space!

It can be hard, working to a deadline and for all writers there is a lot of pressure and often anxiety to deal with. I also hate waiting to find out if readers like my book…

What do you love about writing? 

I love the feeling when I know I’ve written a good scene or even a good paragraph and I’m totally satisfied with it – there’s nothing like that feeling for me. I also love being able to go off in my imagination and take control of another world (control freak – haha). I love it when a character starts speaking to me in my head and I love the process of writing a first draft on a fresh page of my notebook whilst sitting on a warm beach somewhere. I love going to new or much-loved places and planning how to set a novel there. I love research but sometimes get too interested in it. I love it when the finished book is delivered and looks beautiful – but I’m already worrying about the next one and whether it is good enough! 

It turns out there’s a lot I love about writing, which explains a lot…

Advice for other writers.

Read a lot. Write about what you want to explore. Don’t start writing fiction until you hear the voices in your head. Plan or don’t plan – do whatever feels right. Listen to advice from people who know what they’re talking about. Don’t listen to advice. Don’t give up. Go for a walk or do the ironing if you get stuck. Enjoy. (Turns out there are a lot of contradictions in writing advice too)

 

The Lemon Tree Hotel by Rosanna Ley will be published by Quercus in paperback on 13th June, £7.99

The Nanny Gilly Macmillan Book Review

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the nanny gilly macmillan

The Nanny is one of my favourite books of the year so far. A fast paced thriller with dazzling characters and enough twists and turns to leave you guessing. Five stars.

Seven-year-old Jocelyn loves her nanny more than her own mother.
When her nanny disappears one night, Jo never gets over the loss.
How could she vanish without saying goodbye?

Thirty years on, Jo is forced to return to her family home and confront her troubled relationship with her mother. When human remains are discovered in the grounds of the house, Jo begins to question everything.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks at the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again as, one by one, she discovers her childhood memories aren’t what they seemed.

What secrets was her nanny hiding – and what was she running away from? And can Jo trust what her mother tells her?

Sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.

The Nanny Gilly Macmillan is available here.

My Writing Process – Jane Cable

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Jane Cable , writerAs well as being contributing editor to Frost, I write romance with a twist. My first two novels were published independently but now I’m signed by Sapere Books.


My books are relationship driven, because how people fall in love, mess it up, or get it right, fascinates me. But there always has to be something else. My stories are contemporary but the strapline on my promotional material is ‘the past is never dead’ and for very good reason.


My first book with Sapere, Another You, is published on 27th June. It’s a story of family life which draws on the horrors of combat, both in modern times and World War 2 as Marie fights to reclaim her identity outside her marriage and discover what really matters to her.

A bit about your process of writing.
I am at my best first thing in the morning, so that’s when I tend to write if I’m working on new material. I creep out of bed, make a coffee and settle down at my laptop to work up the ideas I’ve been thinking about. I’ll keep writing until I either run out of story or emotional energy, then have a shower and get on with the rest of my day.

Do you plan or just write?
I used to just write, but now I’m working with a publisher I have to plan. It’s more time efficient too, saving endless rewrites. I still need to give my characters room for manoeuvre though, because inevitably they will shape the story more and more as it progresses.

What about word count?
I don’t stress about word count as long as I feel I’m making progress. Every day my Sister Scribe Kitty Wilson and I check in with each other to make sure we’re sticking to our writing goals.

How do you do your structure?

I used to write first then overlay character and story arcs to make sure they made sense. It always surprised me when they did, but Frost’s wonderful editor Margaret Graham says that the rhythm of story-telling is innate in those who have read since childhood. However these days I have a more, well, structured approach after Cornish writer friend Liz Fenwick introduced me to Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat. The approach comes from screenwriting but works for novels too, splitting the story into ‘beats’. I find it really helps me to focus.

What do you find hard about writing?
Getting published! Most of my books have a slightly ghostly element (or at least, could be read that way) and in the past that has made publishers run a mile. At Sapere they understand that if told in the right way, readers love the world of consciousness beyond matter – even in a genre like romance.

What do you love about writing?
I think what I love most of all is being read. It’s being able to create characters and craft their stories in a way readers relate to. One of my proudest moments was when a woman approached me to tell me that The Cheesemaker’s House had got her reading again after her husband’s death.

Advice for other writers. 

The more you write, the better you get at it, so never, ever, be tempted to publish an early draft. Polish it, craft it – work with an editor if you can afford to, but never let a book see the light of day until it’s as good as it possibly can be.

 

Now You See Her by Heidi Perks | Recommended Books

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Now You See Her: The bestselling Richard & Judy favourite by Heidi Perks

This much talked about bestseller is a brilliantly written thriller. Riveting and powerful.

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable: tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.
Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.

Someone is hiding the truth.
So what really happened to Alice?

Available here.

Power Your Phone in Style

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I hate running out of power on my phone. I do not even think I am that much of a phone junkie, but I read books on my phone, listen to music on my phone, and even watch my favourite TV shows on it. I was delighted to be sent this super cute avocado charger. It is wireless and pocket sized. it plugs directly into your Smartphone and the 2000mAh battery works its magic. Love it.

phone charger, avocado

The Avocado Shaped Powerbank costs £14.99 from ThumbsUp.com

 

My Sh*t Therapist: and Other Mental Health Stories by Michelle Thomas

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my shit therapist michelle thomas, book

Michelle Thomas is a stunning writer. She is brave and has such an original voice. Her writing is like being talked to by an articulate friend. I am lucky I do not have a mental health problem but this book was still a great read. It should be prescribed to everyone with a mental illness, and is even an essential read for this who want to understand more about mental health, or has a person in their life who needs help. Searingly honest and beautifully written. I loved it. 

A shocking, heart-rending and blisteringly funny account of what it’s like to live with mental illness, by a powerful new comic voice.

When Michelle Thomas suffered her first major depressive episode six years ago, she read and watched and listened to everything about mental health she could get her hands on in an effort to fix herself. God, it was tedious, boring and, quite frankly, depressing.

Which is the last thing she needed.

What she did need was a therapist who would listen and offer a wellness strategy catered to her specific needs. What she got was advice to watch a few YouTube videos and a cheerful reminder that ‘It could be worse’.

An honest, hilarious and heart-rending account of living with mental illness, My Sh*t Therapist will help you navigate the world, care for your mind and get through sh*t diagnoses, jobs, medications, boyfriends, habits, homes and therapists.

With no miraculous scented candles, herbal teas or ‘cures’ for mental illness in sight, learn instead how a modern woman and her friends and followers are learning to make the most of brilliant but unpredictably sh*t brains.

Having a crappy mental health day? I’ve got you.
Want to chat antidepressants and mental breakdowns?
Pull up a pew and let’s get into it.

 

Available here.

Easy Summer Fashion

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Sponsored content in association with

Tally-Weijl

It feels like it has been raining for months in the UK. It hasn’t of course, but a summer would be great. In the hope that it might actually come I am already thinking about easy summer fashion. Clothes you can wear again and again are best. Buying separates that you can mix and match means your wardrobe works harder and it is also better for the environment. Trousers and jeans are such a classic and they go with pretty much everything from shirts to T shirts. You can even put some jeans under a summers dress for a strong and modern look.

Myself, I tend to go for comfort. I like to wear jeans and a T shirt. It is a uniform and means I do not have to think about what I am wearing too much. Jeans are tough and hard-wearing. Jeans and a T shirt always look good. You can dress up or down in jeans. Pair them with some trainers and a casual T shirt for a relaxed day, or with some scrappy sandals and a dressy top for a barbecue or a summer party. I have a few different pairs of jeans. Boyfriend jeans are my favourite. Skinny jeans are a classic and bootcut are great with, yes, you guessed it, boots. Bootcut jeans can also make your legs look longer. You cannot hide anything in skinny jeans.

https://www.tally-weijl.com/en_UK/clothing-woman/jeans-woman.html

Some people never wear jeans and think they are just too casual. And that is fine. Trousers come in all shapes and sizes. Black trousers are a very classic look. They smarten up an outfit. I see a lot of patterned trousers now and I think they look amazing. A nice bold pattern works well.

https://www.tally-weijl.com/en_UK/clothing-woman/trousers-woman.html

We are all so busy and the best thing to do is to make your wardrobe work as hard as possible. You have better things to do in life than worry about what to wear everyday. Fill your wardrobe up with separates that work well together and you will always be stylish with little effort.

 

Sponsored Post. 

Interior Design Ideas For When You Have Children

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home , improvement, decor
Cleaning, decluttering, interior design. We have become obsessed with our homes. In an uncertain world the one thing it seems we have control of is our own environment. From Marie Kondo to Mrs Hinch, interior design and home improvements have become trendy. This is all well and good but if you have children it can be hard to have your home the way you want it and keep it that way.  So here are some things I try to do to keep my home a beautiful place to live.
Rotate their toys.
My children have an insane amount of toys. Toys from grandparents, their cousins old toys, toys mummy gets sent because she is an editor of a magazine. I find having boxes around and then rotating which boxes are out helps. This way they can get variety and do not use the same toys all of the time, and their other toys are tidied away where they are supposed to go. If they want the other toys, they tidy the ones they are playing with away.
Get them involved. 
Our son will tidy if asked and already helps with some chores. Children tend to love helping out with chores. Even when they are young. It has novelty factor and makes them feel grown up.
Implement some rules. 
Children learn habits and rules early on. If you install rules early it will be easier to make children keep them. Make sure they learn how to tidy up after themselves. Tell them off if they try to colour in the walls. Show them where to put their shoes and coat. Even little things make a difference.
Make sure they are safe. 
Children have a habit of getting into trouble. Have child locks on cupboard doors and drawers. Have cushioned door stoppers on all of the doors to protect little fingers. It is also important to have toughened glass in any areas that need it. Tuffx Glass is one of the leading manufacturers of toughened glass in the UK, and provide commercial and non-commercial products. One of their biggest recent works includes providing toughened glass for The Shard in London. It will look amazing while keeping your little one safe.
Don’t compromise on style. 
While some things should not be around children: anything spiky or any chocking hazards, there are a lot of stylish things you can have despite having children. You can even buy them little stools and their own furniture. A great thing to have a lot of is cushions. Make them bold and beautiful and when they are placed around the floor to stop banged heads the room will still look great.
Sponsored Post in Collaboration with Tuffx Glass.