BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – NOVELIST MORTON GRAY

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What was the first piece of writing advice you were ever given?

When I first began to write I attended a weekly writing course run by author Sue Johnson in the lovely town of Pershore in Worcestershire. Sue gave us a variety of writing prompts each week, such as poems, pictures, leaves, random objects, word lists and such like. Then she’d give up a time limit in which to write something. The idea was just to relax and see what appeared on the page from the stimulus of the prompt. I still use this technique to get started with stories, or if I’m stuck in the middle of a book. I am very grateful that this early training enables me to write quickly if I need to.

 

What was the most recent piece of writing advice you received or gave?

I went on an editing course recently and was advised to highlight the different points of view in my manuscript using different colours. The idea being that the distribution of the colour throughout the manuscript enables you to see if the balance between each characters’ points of view is even. This is an invaluable tip, as often I get fixated on one character’s view point and this enables me to present a balanced piece of work.

 

What piece of advice (writing or otherwise) would you like to pass on?

Oh dear … it is difficult to stick to one, so I’m going for three!

  1. It is never too late to begin to write.
  2. You should always stay true to your own work and not worry about what others are writing.
  3. Writing is such a solitary occupation that it is important to find fellow writers to speak to and share with, be that online or in real life.

 

Morton has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. Her debut novel The Girl on the Beach was published after she won Choc Lit Publishing Search for a Star competition. She is now writing a series of novels based in her fictional seaside town of Borteen. Her second novel The Truth Lies Buried is to be followed by Christmas at Borteen Bay out on 13 November 2018.

 

You can catch up with Morton on her website www.mortonsgray.com on

Twitter – @MortonSGray, her Facebook page – Morton S. Gray Author – https://www.facebook.com/mortonsgray/ and

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/morton_s_gray/

‘Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer’ by M.C. Beaton blasts onto the bookstands  Reviewed by Milly Adams

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Yes, you’ve guessed it – another Agatha Raisin has hit the bookstands – temporarily because they’re already flying right off again.

 

So it is celebration time in the Frost office, and much unseemly elbowing to be the first to read it, and I WON.

 

Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer:  The team of bells at St. Ethelred church is the pride and glory of the idyllic Cotswold village of Thirk Magna, together with the most dedicated bell ringers in the whole of England: the twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin.

 

As the village gets ready for the Bishop’s visit, the twins get over-excited at the prospect of ringing the special peal of bells created for the occasion and start bullying the other bell ringers, forcing them to rehearse and rehearse… until Joseph Kennell, a retired lawyer does the inevitable – snaps and shrieks that he feels like killing them.

 

But does he? Well…

 

Someone broke into the twins home one night, and delivered a hammer blow onto Millicent’s bonce, so was it Joseph? Huh, do you really think I’m going to tell you.

 

Get yourself a glass of champagne, settle yourself down to the treat of the month, or year, and read the glorious happenings that always somehow whirl around the wonderfully politically incorrect Agatha Raisin as she digs, delves and trips over the truth. Agatha our hero, our star, our treat of the year is back. Yay, whoopee, hallelujah.

 

So has the fabulous M.C. Beaton pulled it off again? You darned well better believe it.

 

M.C. Beaton is the New York Times bestselling author of both the Agatha Raisin and the Hamish Macbeth series, as well as numerous Regency romances. Her Agatha Raisin books have been turned into a TV series on Sky, starring Ashley Jensen as Agatha. A second series will be filmed in Spring 2018. She lives in Paris and in a Cotswold village that is very much like Agatha’s beloved Carsely.

 

And… and… we can hardly breathe with excitement – Angela, are you listening, (she’s the latest devotee we have enrolled into the Frost’s Aggy Fan Club ). This winter 2018 the aforementioned second  series of three – yes three 90 minute episodes will be airing based on Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam, Curious Curate and Wizard of Evesham, featuring the original cast with Ashley Jensen starring as Agatha.

 

What could be better? Well, we could have been in it, of course, tottering about on similar high heels couldn’t we? Is that really too much to ask? Nonetheless, we’ll be there in front of the TV, choc in one hand, champagne in the other, having a ball with our Agatha.

 

Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer by M.C. Beaton hb £17.99

 

(Milly Adams’  latest novel is the last in the Waterways Girls – Hope on the Waterways.’

 

 

The Christmas Stocking And Other Stories By Katie Fforde

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It may be November but no matter how much we try and avoid it, Christmas is well and truly here. I have heard my first Christmas song and seen my first Christmas advert. In that spirit let me recommend this wonderful book of festive short stories. Perfect escapist fun. Sit down with this book when your relatives get too much. You will finish it in no time. 

 

A wonderfully festive Christmas collection of short stories from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of A Summer at Sea and A Secret Garden 

The perfect gift for Christmas, escape to the countryside with Katie Fforde. 

Stories include:

Christmas in Disguise
When Jo’s friend Andi asks if she’ll stand in to cook Christmas lunch for her employer. Jo reluctantly agrees, wanting to help out her friend. If the girls get away with it, it will be the perfect Christmas disguise.

Candlelight at Christmas 
Fenella and Rupert are organising the perfect Christmas, surrounded by friends in their beautiful Somerby house. But when a power cut suddenly plunges the house into darkness, Fenella knows she has her work cut out to keep everyone happy.

About the Author:

 Katie Fforde lives in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with her family, and is a true country girl at heart. Each of her books explores a different profession or background and her research has helped her bring these to life. She’s been a porter in an auction house, tried her hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and she’s even been on a Ray Mears survival course. She loves being a writer; to her there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. She particularly enjoys writing love stories. She believes falling in love is the best thing in the world, and she wants all her characters to experience it, and her readers to share their stories. To find out more about Katie Fforde step into her world at www.katiefforde.com, visit her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @KatieFforde.

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan reviewed by Penny Deacon

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This is fun.  A séance, aristocratic guests, ghosts, murder and secrets, all on an island cut off by a storm. In 1917. With winter approaching us in the twenty first century, what more could we possibly want? Curl up on the sofa with something warm, and enjoy.

On one level this is a ‘cosy’ read because it has the characteristics of this genre. The claustrophobia of a house cut off by nature and populated with an assortment of guests who each has his or her own secrets and agenda is comfortingly familiar. Murder is to be expected. The background, however, is 1917 and the First World War is entering its most brutal phase.  The characters of Donovan, for whom memories of the Somme are far too vivid, and Kate Cartwright, who lost her brother there, ensure that the reader is never quite allowed to forget the very real horrors just across the Channel from Blackwater Abbey and its oddly assorted guests. The plot ties the two worlds together in a way that is sometimes uncomfortable.

Just as A House of Ghosts  is not quite a ‘cosy’, nor is it a ghost story in a conventional way. But you can’t ignore the ghosts. Nor can the house guests.  The links between the living and the dead may make you shiver occasionally on your comfortable sofa  and wonder where that draught came from.

You are in safe hands with this book. The author is clearly a natural story teller and draws you in to the twists and turns of a plot which is almost as complicated as the Abbey’s architecture.  All does become clear – but you may be surprised. I finished this book feeling that I’d had a good read with a story which wasn’t quite what I’d expected. And that I wouldn’t mind meeting its central characters again.

Review by Penny Deacon, author of A Kind of Puritan  and  A Thankless Child

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan published in hardback 4th Oct, Zaffre, £12.99

The Life of Riley

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Frost loves a pantomime (oh yes we do!) and so does Riley Clark, who returns to Bognor Regis this Christmas to slap his thigh in Cinderella as Dandini. We nipped off to the seaside for a cuppa and a chat with him.

Credit:youreventphotography.uk

Q: Cinderella is widely regarded as the best-loved panto of all time. Why do you think this is?
A: Because it is such a classic. It is funny and emotional, with a couple of nasty bits thrown in by those ugly sisters, and of course it is magical.

Q: What makes The Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis such a great venue for Panto?
A: It is big enough that you experience lots of audience participation and atmosphere, but small enough to still feel intimate. It is shaped perfectly that you will never miss a gag. But I think my favourite part about working there has to the staff. Everyone who works there is so friendly and helpful that you are sure to have a good experience from the moment you walk through the doors.

Q: As well as several other pantomimes over the years, you starred as the baddie in Beauty and the Beast in Bognor two years ago. We’re guessing that you love panto?
A: I love doing Panto because it’s the one time of year where both actors and audience can come together and be silly while telling a great story and feeling all Christmassy at the same time.

Q: How did you get into acting?
A: After seeing a panto at the age of 8 (I was in my first show aged 9!). I was in awe of the actors onstage, and how they got to tell a story and bring laughter and joy to all of these families – everyone had a couple of hours of pure enjoyment. I decided a couple of years later that I wanted to pursue acting as a career and here I am today. I also perform my own Swing and Rat Pack act.

What is your Christmas wish?
A: that everyone comes to see the show! I know for a fact it’s going to be a great one, and if you’re lucky you may get to see the mice do a little song as well! I wish all Frost readers a very Merry Christmas.

Q: When is it on and how can we book tickets?
A: Cinderella runs from 12 December 2018 – 2 January 2019. Box office on 01243 861010; www.regiscentre.co.uk

FASCINATING PANTO PEARLS

• The word pantomime comes from the Greek words ‘pan’ meaning all, and ‘mimos’ meaning imitator.

• Travelling entertainment in Italy and France, the traditions of the Italian Commedia dell’ Arte were also influences on modern panto, as were British Music Hall and of course traditional fairy stories.

• Cinderella, originally written by Charles Perrault in 1697, was based on a folk story. The slipper was probably made of squirrel fur, but the change to glass came about as a result of a translation mix up: the French word for glass is ‘verre’ and white squirrel fur is ‘vair’. But it was a change for the better. Cinders wearing footwear fashioned from a dead rodent isn’t really in keeping with the romance of the story!

• Fairy Dust was a hurried addition to the original story of Peter Pan. Originally Peter and the Lost Boys could fly independently, but after reports of children injuring themselves as they tried to fly from their beds JM Barrie added Fairy Dust as a requirement for taking flight.

Let Kindness Triumph Over Materialism this Christmas

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Go cold turkey on consumerism this Christmas and give the best present there is – love, urges the acclaimed children’s author M.C.D. Etheridge.

By M.C.D. Etheridge

What do you love most about Christmas? From the uplifting chorus of carols to the fragrant smell of pine needles and unmistakable taste of figgy pudding, a traditional Christmas really is an assault on the senses. Yet, maybe it’s the way that Christmas makes us feel that really brings us joy.

Because when it comes to this special holiday, it doesn’t really matter if you’re a church-going Christian or if you simply value the time you get to spend with your family, what you probably love most about Christmas is love itself.

It’s easy to lose sight of this when you’re lost in the frenzied aisles of the shopping mall where even the calmest individual can find themselves part of an angry, anxious mob. You don’t even have to venture further than the multi-storey carpark to witness the annual pilgrimage to these great cathedrals of consumerism spiralling out of control. Just observe the alarming scream of car horns crying mayhem over the distant loop of Christmas jingles. It’s enough to drown out any semblance of festive cheer before you’ve even set foot in the building. Meanwhile, as you fight your way towards the snaking check-out queues to purchase the overpriced items your children reassured you they wanted just hours ago, they’re at school, immersed in the unforgiving, materialistic mania that brainwashes them into wanting something else entirely. Don’t get sucked in.

The pressure we put on ourselves at this time of year can be overwhelming. It’s enough to drive you insane. So let’s, just for a moment, take a step back and try to remember what this holiday is all about, because it’s not just about buying things.

In the 21st Century, we have to acknowledge that for many people in modern Britain, Christmas has evolved from the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, and yet most of us continue to celebrate the constant theme central to the Nativity. For at its heart, Christmas, both in the biblical narrative and in its modern form, is a celebration of the family. And rightly so. Let’s not forget that if you have a family, you are lucky. If you have friends, you are luckier still. For some of us at Christmas, our friends are our family and there’s nothing wrong with that either. Christmas is a time to celebrate, appreciate and love the people we have in our lives.

It’s also a time when we experience the joy of giving and the Christmas tradition of being kind. For if the Nativity introduces our children to the idea that the family is special, then it’s Santa Claus who arrives as the champion of human kindness. The way he introduces our kids to the idea that there are people out there who do things for others out of the kindness of their heart is wonderful. For this reason alone, he’s epic.

In many ways, with all his Christmas magic, Santa is the first superhero our kids experience, and yet ever since I was a boy, I’ve felt this incredible Christmas character has been missing a worthy backstory. It’s the reason why I put pen to paper to write Whitebeard.

Whitebeard, my new book, is Santa’s origin story and as the name might suggest, reimagines Santa as a good-natured, Falstaffian pirate captain. It’s been enormous fun writing this children’s adventure story and so much of the joy lies in the fact that everyone already knows how the story ends. We know Santa must have a flying sleigh and reindeer, the ability to deliver gifts to all the children of the world and have a heart as pure as the driven snow. It’s how he gets there, and who he meets along the way, that makes it fun.

My research uncovered the little-known fact that Saint Nicholas (the man on whom most Santa traditions are based) is not only the patron saint of children, but of repentant thieves and sailors too. It would emerge that seafaring adventures and repentance are themes historically linked to the famous and loving Christmas character. Well, if that doesn’t shout out reformed pirate I don’t know what does and I just loved the idea of an old, saltwater thief changing his ways to become the man we know and love as Father Christmas. The triumph of kindness over materialism is therefore at the heart of the story I wanted to write.

Admittedly, I haven’t received an official thumbs up from Lapland on the authenticity of my festive tale, so I like to think of it more as an unofficial biography. I don’t expect to receive too many complaints though, because between the pages of Whitebeard there’s a healthy respect for all our favourite Christmas traditions and a determination to celebrate family, kindness and love. And whichever way you look at it, that’s what Christmas is all about.

M.C.D. Etheridge is a journalist and TV producer for SKY News, ITN, ITV, Channel 5, and Australia’s Channel 9. His new children’s book, Whitebeard, is described as a “rollicking Christmas adventure story” and is ideal for children aged between 8 and 12. It is out now on Amazon UK priced £7.99 in paperback and £1.99 in eBook. Visit www.whitebeardbook.com 

 

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

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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 

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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