BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS – DOWN, DEEPER, DOWN – AND LIGHT

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Jane Cable

LUCY COLEMAN

It’s been an emotional month. With a close family member in ICU for over two weeks and still critical, our hearts have been breaking. In the middle of this my other half and I had stomach flu and then structural edits arrived on my desk. The bug cut our hospital vigil short, so we text and support the ‘supporters’ by phone.

Aside from passing on messages to the wider family, my way of coping is to write. I channelled all that emotional turmoil into my edits and then into my current work in progress. All we can do is pray for a good outcome and when you can’t physically be there to help, it’s important to keep busy.

Writing for me is escapism. But I don’t avoid the harsher side of life and most of my novels reflect the mixed bag fate dishes out. What I’ve learnt this month is that there is a lot of kindness and love in this world, and often it comes from strangers – nurses and doctors who are there when you most need them. It’s truly humbling and a remind of how precious life is.

CLAIRE DYER

And so I’ve been faced with something that can bring a chill to any author’s heart – the rewrite. I have written a novel. It has been seen by quite a few people and one of these people has suggested that it would be stronger, better, more commercial were I to … It’s quite a long list!

But rather than recoil, I find myself embracing the challenge. They’re right. The book will be stronger, better, more commercial if I make the suggested changes. The only problem is, can I? Not as in may I, or do I want to, but am I able to? It seems a huge task. Six strands need editing, all the possible knock-on effects of these edits need to be spotted to ensure consistency; I have to match the tone, voice, spirit of the original even though time has passed and other things have crowded into my mind.

And so I’m going in. Will let you know how I get on!

STOP PRESS: some weeks have passed and I think I’m done. The six strands have been buffed, honed, added to, had stuff deleted from and I’m exhausted. I’ve re-read the book what seems like a gazillion times. I’ve loved it and I’ve hated it. I’ve wept from despair, and also because the story has come from somewhere deep within where a lot of sadness is. It is a different beast from the novel I started two years ago and I too am altered. I hope we’ve both changed for the better, but only time will tell. I have certainly valued the experience in a bizarre sort of way. However, now it has to go off into the world and we all know what that means …!

JACKIE BALDWIN

There have been many highs in this writing year but this month has not been amongst them. I discovered that my lovely Golden Retriever, Poppy, who has just turned six, is terminally ill and not expected to be with us long. A real blow to us all. As a result, I don’t have much in the way of news as I have been staying close to home.

I have been tying myself into knots over the plot in my third book and may well have to abandon it completely and start again. I’ve been thinking about it so hard I might have broken my brain. This must be what writer’s block feels like, a creeping paralysis of creative thought. I have to believe that it will pass and the pieces will gradually fall into place.

I hope that by this time next month I will be writing up a storm again!

ANGELA PETCH

The mountainside is a picture of fiery golds and rich reds as we start to pack up our Italian house for winter. We might return for New Year, which is celebrated in Italy with delicious feasts. Maurice and I enjoyed a much-needed five-day break last week in the Abruzzo region, walking up the majestic Gran Sasso, visiting devastated hill-top towns in this earthquake area. I have a fascination for ruins and they will feature in my third Tuscan novel, very much in the planning and research stages. While we were away, no writing was done. And that is good, but my mind was still absorbing sights, sounds and new ideas.

Mavis and Dot is going on a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources in mid-November, so I’ve been busy with interviews and making the final decision about the cover. I’m really pleased with it and I used a professional designer this time. Watch this space.

Wine for Winter Nights

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Kesh

It’s officially Winter and almost the countdown to Christmas (eeeek) so here at Frost we decided to toast away what has been a glorious Summer and a mild Autumn with some beaut wine offerings.

For our White Wine lovers we have gone for;

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin

Villa Maria has long been a hit with consumers and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has continued to dazzle customers for a number of years now. As the most widely planted grape variety in NZ, Villa Maria have a few distinct Sauvignon Blanc styles dependent on regions of the country owing to the maritime climate. Here we try the Malborough Private Bin which features grapes picked from a combination of vineyards across two different valleys in Malborough. The result is an intense and herbaceous flavour noticeably distinguishable from Villa Maria Reserve Malborough wine which has grapes specifically from Wairau valley. Private Bin has a strong and fresh flavour alive with citrus and tropical fruits owing to the long sunny days and cooler nights.

This is a flavoursome wine and can be enjoyed without food but with owing to its strong flavour, a glass with dinner will go down well. We paired it with Chicken and Mushroom risotto.

Available from most good grocery stores. A full list can be found on their website:

www.villamaria.co.nz

RRP: £9.69 (Waitrose price)

For a hearty RED recommendation we chose;

Errazuriz Estate Series Carmenere 2017

This Chilean number is robust and pleasing owing to it being 90% Carmenere. The aromas are evocative of a classic wintery red with hints of black pepper, oak and nutmeg. A perfect fireplace wine. The balance of smoke and spice is the stand out essence which distinguishes this Carmenere variety, and ever so subtly sets it apart from the Merlot. The dash of Petit Syrah which makes up the other 10% adds to the aromatics of the wine.

Smooth tannins make this highly desirable on the palette with and without food and I would certainly recommend with rich dishes sweet and savoury due to the chocolatey nature of this wine.

RRP: £10.50

www.majestic.co.uk

Review: Gary Wilmot’s sweet success in Bognor Regis

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Vicky Edwards

Sweet Lorraine, The Alexandra Theatre, Bognor

New writing is the lifeblood of theatre, so for a small seaside venue like the Regis Centre to be exploring new work is exciting in itself. To beef that up by kicking off with a play by one of the nation’s most popular performers is quite some coup; even if it is difficult reconcile cheeky chappie Gary Wilmot with such a dark and tense piece. But all credit to Wilmot, who is also at the directorial helm. Sweet Lorraine is a triumph. Furthermore, it deserves a wider audience.

A compelling tale of a talented young musician with a secret, the writing is elegant, authentic and intelligent. The plot, part thriller and part grim cautionary tale, is rooted in an astute study of human nature and poses a disturbing question: just how far would you go to wright a terrible wrong that had been done to someone you love and whose life had been subsequently blighted?

Beautifully paced, the story plays out to a shocking conclusion. Gripping the attention, never for a moment allowing it to wander, evocative music and Iain Jordan’s moody lighting are key components in creating atmospheric edge-of-the-seat unease.

Aided by excellent performances from Harry Burton as Harry Burns and Martha Dancy as the eponymous Lorraine, great support is provided by Ben Fox as Phil and Katy Osborne as Emma.

Gary Wilmot has been hiding his scripting light under the proverbial bushel for too long. Here’s hoping that he continues to write and that Sweet Lorraine will play on elsewhere.

As for the Regis Centre and its Alexandra Theatre, may this gem of a seaside venue continue to champion new work.

Frost Magazine’s Drama Critic Paul Vates wins the £1000 People’s Play Award 2018

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Margaret Graham

Woo hoo… Fabulous… Congratulations…

The Frost Magazine team cracked open the office fizz when we heard that our erudite drama critic, Paul Vates, had won The People’s Play Award 2018 with Voltemand And Cornelius Are Joyfully Returned.

Some of the team had seen the original run through a while ago at The Hope Theatre Islington and been moved, interested, amused and – the real test; were still talking about it days later, and what’s more, it is with us still – thought provoking is the word we used then, and still do. Hence the revelry, hence the sheer delight at Paul’s well deserved success.

Naturally, when vaguely sober we pinioned Paul to a chair and got the ins and outs of the story behind his successful play.

He told us that Voltemand and Cornelius as characters had been niggling at him since his A level days, when he was studying Hamlet, Stoppard and Beckett.

I mean – our Paul thought – it was OK for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to hog the limelight, but what about Voltemand and Cornelius with their piddly little parts, and just one word referencing their arrival: ‘joyfully’?

Well, what about them?

He says that he knew he wanted to feature the two characters but – he never quite knew ‘where’ they were. It wasn’t until 2013 that he met a professor pal and WW1 expert who suggested that the where could in no-man’s land. There it was, Voltemand and Cornelius had come home, falling into place like skittles well bowled.

Apparently the first draft wrote itself, and then the hard work began, and it is this that aspiring writers will understand: it was Version 6 that won the People’s Play Award.

Paul says: ‘Voltemand and Cornelius represent everyman. Along with the bleakness of it, I hope the absurdity and humour of their world shines through.’

As the Frost team walked away from the original read-through we found ourselves comparing it with Vernon Scannell’s poem Walking Wounded. We’ve talked about the play on and off since then so Paul’s success is not a surprise, just a suitable accolade for a play that hooked us on the first draft. We now can’t wait to see Version 6 when it is performed in Newcastle starting its run on 11th May 2019 at the the People’s Theatre.

One question we will have answered then, since Paul isn’t telling, is: what about the duck?

What do we mean? Come to Newcastle in May and find the answer.

Paul Vates: Comedy actor, writer and drama critic and Award Winning Playwright.

The People Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF 0191 265 5020

Frost Loves Mod Shoes

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

Of all of the things that make you feel great in life; a good pair of shoes is certainly one of them. These glamorous, yet comfortable, shoes from Mod are a show stopper. In look-at-me red, and with a cute buckle; they are the perfect Autumn shoe. Check Mod Shoes out here. Their shoes look great and are well made. We have our eyes on a pair of brogues.

Pizzagirl Releases New Single ‘Body Part’

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

Photo credit: PizzaMum.

Pizzagirl – ‘body part’

Following latest singles highschool and gymnasium, Pizzagirl remains within the blurry borders of his misremembered 80s, filmic universe for the spacious body part.

Perhaps the clearest embodiment of his vision, and the space he’s occupying between 80s teen-film nostalgia, 90s dial-up internet culture and the modern meme age, the tracks owes as much to Phil Collins and Janet Jackson as it does to fellow purveyors of wide-eyed bedroom-pop, Clairo, Boy Pablo, Gus Dapperton.

The experience, as Pizzagirl, AKA Liam Brown, puts it, is as follows:

“You’re scrolling on the World Wide Web and you reach mypizzagirl.com, but you click the wrong link and you’re virtually sucked into a dark, smoky, glitchy chatroom, where a badly rendered waitress serves you a beat pie by mistake, now your new CGI ears have accidentally downloaded my freshest tune, BODY PART!”

From the confines of his bedroom studio (AKA The Beatzzeria) in Liverpool, Pizzagirl’s musical mind wanders through the decades and over the Atlantic. Capturing the wistful, romantic nostalgia and coming-of-age sentiment in classic Brat Pack era film it’s as though Pizzagirl has planted himself as a character in a John Hughes screenplay. And body part is the latest set-piece scene, a darker, sadder element to his sound, a plot twist before a triumphant return.

Sophomore EP season 2 is the follow up to acclaimed debut EP An Extended Play, released at the top of the year. This earned Pizzagirl numerous not-so-secret admirers. Champions came in the form of Huw Stephens, Annie Mac, Lauren Laverne and more across the airwaves, as well as Noisey, DIY, Highsnobiety, Wonderland plus dozens of others in the blogosphere. With a tour supporting Her’s up and down the land to boot, there are multiple levels to the ever-growing platform from which Pizzagirl can now dive further into the cosmos.

He maintains his flair for channelling through his music and visuals the extroversion of 80s electronica, late 90s internet culture and US East Coast sad-indie introversion, calling to mind the likes of Porches, Frankie Cosmos both in esoteric sound and DIY work ethic.

Overall it’s a small operation. With the help of a thrown together flatpack mini studio, Pizzagirlwrites, records and produces all of his music and visuals from the comfort of his home. His best mate shoots his videos and his mum takes his press shots.

Through December Pizzagirl will be taking his show on the road with a series of UK tour dates, standing solo on stage, accompanied only by his trusty laptop, guitar and sequencer, displaying the lonesome idiosyncrasies of an introvert married with the larger than life extroverted nature implied by his eccentric, zany and often pensive pop tunes.

body part is being released by Heist or Hit on October 23rd, and is taken from Pizzagirl’s season 2 EP, out November 30^th.

Live Dates
1st Dec – Sound Basement, Liverpool
3rd Dec – The Louisiana, Bristol
4th Dec – The Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham
5th Dec – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton

Review: The Midnight Gang, Chichester Festival Theatre

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Vicky Edwards

The Midnight Gang, Chichester Festival Theatre
Until 3 November. Box Office: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Never knowingly understated, David Walliams took his seat to loud applause from the audience on press night. By the curtain call, when he praised the cast and creative team behind the adaptation of his book, the cheers practically took the roof off. Quite right too. His story didn’t just jump from page to stage, it took flight – literally.

Set in Lord Funt Hospital, Matron rules the children’s ward with a rod of iron. A rod of iron dipped in cement and covered in titanium. Looking like Doris Day but without a glimmer of sunshine in her soul, her young patients know the risk they are running in escaping her clutches to indulge in secret midnight antics.

Aided and abetted by the hospital’s porter, superbly played by Dickon Gough (was it just my imagination or were there shades of Walliams in there?), the poorly children live out their wildest fantasies, reminding us that when something we yearn for is out of reach, dreams can be the next best thing.

The children are fabulous. We saw Cody Molko as Tom, Jasmine Sakyiama as Amber, Rafi Essex as George, Felix Warren as Robin and Cerys Hill as Sally, but I gather that their opposite numbers (Tumo Reetsang, Albi Stisted, Cooper Snow, Fibian McKenzie and Anjali Shah) are every bit as talented.

Jenny Dale is a glorious gorgon as Matron. With the bedside manner of Nurse Ratched, her swooning over Tom’s headmaster (Tim Mahendran) during The Punishment Will be Severe is one of many highlights.

With lovely performances also from Lucy Vandi, Matthew Cavendish and Marilyn Cutts, lots of doubling up means that the cast appears bigger than the reality. Collectively they manage quick changes – of costume and character – with impressive and seamless speed.

Simon Higlet’s ingenious set is a joy, full of surprises and magical elements. Music by Joe Stilgoe provides agreeable accompaniment, but it is words rather than music that are his greater accomplishment. Astute, witty and dexterous, notably in So Many Questions which sees a beleaguered doctor trying to fill out an admission form, his sparkling lyrics are marvellous.

Tender, funny and thrilling, Bryony Lavery’s adaptation retains all the heart and humour of Williams’ book and sprinkles precisely the right amount of theatrical magic into the story.

Director Dale Rooks is to be congratulated. A stunning show for all the family, The Midnight Gang is an absolute tonic. I urge you to get dosed up.

From a child’s perspective – Lily B (14) says:

The Midnight Gang is an action-packed story with memorable characters. Comedic, cheering and cleverly staged, especially with the flight of a naked grandma, Matron was my favourite. Child-hating, chocolate loving and power crazed, she was the perfect love-to-hate character. A great show for children and their families, I especially liked the messages to let your imagination run free and to be kind to each other. Definitely five stars!

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