My Writing Process: Marika Cobbold | How I write.

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monika cobbold, author. in hampstead heath. What you have written, past and present.

I’ve written eight novels, a number of short stories, and I also write for newspapers, here in the UK and in my native Sweden.

What you are promoting now.
We authors prefer to think that we’re not so much promoting as drawing your attention with cunning and stealth, but leaving that to one side, my new novel, On Hampstead Heath is just out so, of course, I want everyone to know about it. It’s a novel about Truth and its ugly stepsister, Fake News and it tells a news story written and filed, in haste and a haze of gin, by my otherwise principled journalist protagonist, Thorn Marsh. Written and deeply regretted the morning after, by which time the story of the Angel of the Heath has gone viral and it’s all Thorn can do to survive the fall-out. It’s a serious book, at heart, but also, I hope, fun to read.

monika cobbold, author. in hampstead heath.

A bit about your process of writing.

Slow, is the best way of describing it. On Hampstead Heath, at some 240 pages, is a relatively short novel, but it, or variations of it, took me the best part of ten years, and some several thousand discard pages, to write. Not all my books have proven so challenging to write but the process is similar with each one: I dream and think and make notes by longhand. (I’ve discovered a wonderful make of notebooks called Leuchtturm, they’re a bit like Moleskin but even nicer.) A filled notebook or two later, I sit down to write the book proper, always straight onto my laptop. My handwriting is too painfully bad to lend itself to long-form. I then go back over and over the same fifty or so pages, perfecting every last word. I eventually progress, only to realise that most of those preceding pages are now redundant to the story and have to be discarded. It’s not so much “kill your darlings” as the Texas Chain Massacre.

What About Word Count.

I think more in terms of pages, but on average, I suppose I write between six and eight hundred words a day.

How do you do your structure.

Part of it is intuitive; I build my structure as I go along. Then, with each ensuing draft (I do at least ten complete drafts before I get to a version that I feel I can send to my agent and editor), I cut and paste and shape and shift. Finally, I print out and go through the entire manuscript, notebook in hand, for a final shaping of the text.

What do you find hard about writing.
I think an easier question, in my case, would be, What don’t you find hard about writing? To which the answer would be, the point where I’ve worked myself into near insanity over a number of months, or even years, to find the story really is beginning to take on a life of its own. By then I know my characters as well, or better than I know myself, and subsequently, the writing flows.

What do you love about writing?
That final push, and the rare eureka moments when I look over a paragraph just written and think, “That’s not bad, not bad at all!”.

On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold is out in hardback by Arcadia.

The Philip Kingsley Hero Range to tackle Fine, Flat Hair

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Philip Kingsley is a hero of the hair world. Their products are outstanding and innovative. The Body Building Range for fine hair is no exception. They are all great products that all work in sync with each other to give you your best possible hair.

Philip Kingsley’s best-selling hero range, The Body Building Range for fine hair, to create bigger bouncier beautiful hair.

Each product is layerable and designed to complement one another for a full proof care and styling regime, guaranteed to add enviable body and bounce. Using products with plumping ingredients is essential when choosing the right shampoo , conditioning and styling products for fine hair. Copolymers control flyaways and static, Natural Cellulose thickens the texture of fine strands, Keratin Proteins help strengthen, whilst Wheat Protein works to plump each individual strand.

Body Building Weightless Shampoo (250ml, £20)

Volumising Weightless shampoo for fine hair, adds volume and bounce from root to tip.

 

Body Building Weightless Conditioner (200ml, £20)

A hydrating weightless conditioner which adds moisture and volume to shorter, fine, flat, flyaway hair.

 

Maximizer Root Boosting Spray (125ml, £19)

A heat-activated spray that provides instant root lift, and helps with frizz control and flyaways.

 

Maximizer Strand Plumping Cream (75ml, £22)

Plumping cream that smoothes frizz and provides instant volume to fine limp locks.

The range is available here.

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: APRIL BOOK REVIEWS

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Natalie Meg Evans’ Into the Burning Dawn, reviewed by Jill Barry

This sweeping novel is a step away from the world of Parisian haute couture for Natalie Meg Evans, whose books often feature heroines involved in fashion. A successful author of historical fiction, Evans mixes intricate details of a family business with an absorbing plot.  If you enjoy plenty of conflict in a love story, this novel will delight you. Set in Italy, descriptions of the sparkling sea, the scent of ripening lemons and the undercurrent of wartime passions all combine to make this World War Two romance an absorbing read. Heroine Imogen, faced with tough choices, is forced to decide which path to take. And her personal safety and determination to remain in her job are doubly important as she seeks to provide love and stability for the children in her charge.

Judith Barrow’s The Heart Stone, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

It is 1914 and war is declared. Childhood friends, Jessie and Arthur, declare their love for each other on the day he set to join the army and consummate the relationship. Jessie falls pregnant and her life becomes a series of trials and conflict, but she fights and fights. She is a well-drawn character with a distinct voice during a time when women did not have a voice. The enthralling narrative is fraught with conflict and heartbreak, but there are powerful moments of kindness and tenderness. Thank goodness for the warmth of the maternal role models in Jessie’s life – what an inspiration! This love story remained with me long after I had turned the first page.

I adore all of Judith Barrow’s novels as her writing breathes life into history through her characters; she is not afraid to deal with hardship and horrible people.

Sophie Nicholls’ The Dress, reviewed by Angela Petch

I’d listened to Sophie Nicholls talking about writing. Lines from The Dress were discussed and caught my attention: “The best words are chosen. They choose themselves while working on the garment… Let the words find you.”  In this novel, Fabia is a dressmaker, a salvager of vintage clothes, who sews mindful words into seams and hems of garments she creates. A heading for a different item kicks off each chapter.

This is “the story of Mamma and me,” her daughter Ella tells us and “a story that belongs to all of us, if it belongs to anyone.”

Mother and daughter (who have a particular gift of sixth sense) are continually on the move to city to escape the mother’s secret. But Ella, at fifteen, wants to settle and has made friends: Billy and Katrina. Nicholls is good at teenagers; I loved these cameos.

I would award 5 stars for the dreamy, magical prose but have to subtract half because of a guessable twist.

Lucy Diamond’s Something to Tell You, reviewed by Carol Thomas

Something to Tell You is a light, family-based read that tells the Mortimer family’s story as they come to terms with secrets that threaten their stability. It is a book of two halves. The earlier chapters include an attention-grabbing hook, while the later chapters, with their slower pace and happy resolutions, lead the reader by the hand to the story’s conclusion.

There were many characters to keep track of, each with their own issues, so the book required focus. The majority of the characters were likeable and optimistic. The author touched on some harder-hitting issues in their pasts but not in great depth. Because of that, it remained an easy-going read (as I had hoped). The resolutions felt a little easily won, but as I was looking for a book with little angst, it didn’t detract from the reading pleasure.

 

 

 

Michael Rowan discovers that it’s true that you eat with your eyes but he had to don his sunglasses for this tasty technicoloured treat.

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It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but no one said that it had to look so boring, yet porridge, cereal, toast or croissant are uniformly brown or beige.

Haskapa is the world’s first all-natural superberry powder and its colour alone will make you rethink the way you start each day. A speedy, simple and delicious alternative to the beige breakfast packed with four times more anthocyanins than blueberries.

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring blue, purple, and red pigments that have been scientifically linked to numerous health benefits, including heart and cognitive wellbeing.

Haskapa’s freeze-dried powder is easy to use and has a unique, delicious tangy flavour and bold colour, thanks to the haskap berry’s deep blue skin and juicy crimson flesh.

Just one to two teaspoons of Haskapa added to any breakfast dish (probably not the toast or croissant) is sure to transform your day. Swirl the bright, berrylicious powder into porridge, sprinkle onto yogurt or spoon into smoothies for an instant boost.

I added some to Rhubarb Compote and Greek Yogurt and I also made a banana smoothie, both equally delicious, with an unforgettable berry flavour and vibrant purple hue. 

Haskapa has teamed up with Rebel Recipes, food unashamedly for foodies where It’s about pleasure, vibrancy and flavour in each dish, has created some fun, speedy and nourishing recipes to help make breakfast time an absolute blast. Each recipe card is as vibrant as the Haskapa powder with easy to follow recipes.

Haskapa adds an incredible colour but it also packs a nutritional punch – absolutely perfect to add to breakfast dishes. Wonderful in oats, smoothies, simply swirled into yogurt, added to baked goodies and it makes a fantastic tea.

Each packet is re sealable and as you only use one or two teaspoons it will last for ages or it would do, if it wasn’t so tasty and versatile.

https://www.haskapa.com/collections/all – to purchase direct

https://www.haskapa.com/

 

Book Review: Homecoming by Luan Goldie – reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke West Country Correspondent

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For years Yvonne has tried to keep her demons buried and focus on moving forward. But her guilt is always with her and weighs heavily on her heart.

Kiama has had to grow up without a mother, and while there is so much he remembers about her, there is still plenty he doesn’t know. And there’s only one person who can fill in the gaps.

Lewis wants nothing more than to keep Kiama, his son, safe, but the thought of Kiama dredging up the past worries Lewis deeply. And Lewis doesn’t know if he’s ready to let the only woman he’s ever loved back into his life.

When Kiama seeks Yvonne out and asks her to come with him to Kenya, the place that holds the answers to his questions, she knows she can’t refuse. And this one act sets in motion an unravelling of the past that no one is ready for.

Moving between London and Kenya, and spanning almost two decades, Homecoming is a profound story of love, family and friendship. It’s about coming to terms with your past, and about what happens when we finally share our truths.

Homecoming isn’t the type of book that I would have picked up for myself, Luan Goldie has a fantastic reputation, you will not have to dive far into the literary world before you find someone who has read her debut Nightingale Point.

With high expectations that this book would be as good as the first I was not disappointed. She creates beautiful and complex characters and as we read on more of their character is slowly but surely revealed to us.

The story itself is equally as sensational, I do not want to give too much away but if you want a nostalgic read full of secrets, forbidden love and friendship then Homecoming will deliver all of that and so much more.

I am so excited to see what other delights Luan has in store for us.

 

Available in pb, Audible audio book and  eBook

 

 

 

 

Joffe reminds us that voting The People’s Book Prize. Voting closes on 30th April and tells us of their Book of the Week

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Joffe’s Book of the Week. Bury me Deep by Jane Adams, for 99p/99c but only for a limited time.

On the edge of an ancient grave, Detective Rozlyn Priest forces herself to look down upon what should be a collection of old bones and broken relics, not the dead man staring back at her now.  Roz won’t rest until she finds out what really happened to the victim. But just how deep is she prepared to dig to uncover the truth?

          

DOROTHY MARTIN IS BACK in Day of Vengeance by Jeanne M Dams . . . £1.99/$1/99c
A cosy murder, but crikey, the twists and turns …

Some praise for Day of Vengeance: ‘Dorothy remains delightful. A woman after my own heart!’ Pat
‘Make sure that you order right now.” Kathleen. ‘The ending was a shocker that I didn’t see coming . . . well worth the read!’ Jan

Murder in the Barn by Roy Lewis 99p/99c   Discover the first book in the Arnold Landon Mystery series by bestselling author, Roy Lewis.

Arnold Landon is determined to save the historic barns on the Rampton Farm from developers, yet his efforts are met with hostile resistance. And then the barn offers up its most shocking secret yet.
A dead body, sprawled in the straw.

Singing to the Dead by Caro Ramsay 99P / 99C

Fans of LJ Ross, Val McDermid and Joy Ellis will love this series

Two boys are missing.  Both of the children endured years of neglect and abuse and now it’s feared they’ve fallen into something much more dangerous. Detectives Anderson and Costello start contemplating the worst in a rush to find them. Did they run or were they taken?

The People’s Book Prize. Voting closes on 30th April.

Joffe Books is  thrilled that two of their authors have been nominated for the People’s Book Prize and  remind those who haven’t yet used their  voting power to support both Victoria Dowd and Jane Adams.

  GO, GO, GO! And, congratulations to two  deserving authors.

See more of Joffe’s range here 

JANE CABLE REVIEWS TWO NOVELS WITH LINKS TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR

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I am coming to think that I enjoy a saga more than any other sort of book. Yes, I poke fun at so many of them being ‘The Something Girls’, but it does mean you know what you are getting; a well constructed and multi-layered story about female friendship – and finding love – in the face of adversity. You often have the added security of knowing that if you enjoy the book, there will be at least two more to follow.

Poppy Cooper’s debut, The Post Office Girls, bears all the hallmarks of a quality saga. The classic cover featuring the three protagonists, a war going on to throw them out of their comfort zones, and some very assured writing.

The writing is, in fact, a delight. The main character, Beth, is just eighteen years old and the author has slipped easily into the head of one so young, making her an utterly believable and compelling character. It was done with such skill that I even forgave the exclamation marks. Because they were right!

The Post Office Girls, once it gets going, is a good pacey story too. In classic saga style three girls from vastly different backgrounds decide to do their bit in World War One by working at the sorting office erected in Regents Park for the duration. Beth is a shopkeeper’s daughter from the Home Counties whose parents are horrified she would dare do such a thing. Milly is from the East End and is a bit of a loose cannon, and gangly Nora comes from a very wealthy background indeed. They all have different views on life – and on how they should each support the suffrage movement, which plays an increasing role in the book.

It was a brave move to pick a man with moral objections to the war as Beth’s potential love interest and I am really looking forward to seeing how this plays out in subsequent books. The Post Office Girls is set in 1915, pre conscription, so it was less of an issue then, although as a reader you shudder to know what James will face.

This book strikes just the right balance between the internal conflicts of the characters and the action that surrounds them. There is peril and drama, without ever going over the top. There is plenty of laughter and quite a few tears, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone.

To review alongside The Post Office Girls I chose another book with links to the First World War, but this one a dual timeline. Patricia Wilson’s Summer in Greece is marketed as a holiday read – just look at that cover, with its promise of Greek Islands.

It isn’t a promise the book delivered for me and I felt a little let down that much of the present day action takes place in Dover, with just a couple of trips to Greece, and the Greek parts were so very beautiful it made me especially sorry that was the case.

Far more of the 1916 timeline was set in the Mediterranean and centred around the sinking of the hospital ship Britannic. There is a gritty truth in the way both this and working in a field hospital are described with no question at all of young VAD Gertie flitting between beds mopping brows.

If I am totally honest there were a few too many twists and turns in the contemporary narrative for me and I found myself wondering how many more tragedies could have possibly have befallen poor Shelly as one unheralded surprise revealed itself after another. But I know many readers will enjoy the story; after all there is a reason why Patricia Wilson is so very successful.

The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts | Book Review

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I need to start this review by admitting that I read every book written by Sophia Money-Coutts. I think she is a great writer. The Wish List is another triumph and my favourite book yet. It follows Florence Fairfax who writes a wish list of what she wants in a man, and then it seems like that man turns up. But will the course of love run smoothly?  Money-Coutts is a great writer, she is so perceptive about the little things in life, and in people. She writes in beautiful detail and really knows her characters. You can get lost in this book. I recommend reading it in the bath or in your comfiest chair with a good cup of tea. The Wish List is a fun and feel-good rom-com. It is perfect to unwind with. This is the perfect romance novel.

The Wish List, book, book review, Sophia Money-Coutts,

Florence Fairfax might have been single for quite a while – well, forever, actually – but she isn’t lonely. She loves her job at the little bookshop in Chelsea and her beloved cat Marmalade who keeps her company at night. She’s perfectly happy, thank you.

So when Florence meets an eccentric love coach who asks her to write a wish list describing her perfect man, she refuses to take it seriously. Until later that week, Rory, a handsome blond man with the sexual athleticism of James Bond she asked for just happens to walk into the bookshop…

Rory seems to tick all of the boxes on Florence’s list. But is she about to discover there’s more to love than being perfect on paper?

The Wish List is available here and is publishing in paperback on 24th June.