Tag: book launch

Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton

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All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good few days. So looking forward to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Will be writing one big blog post on Friday 14th August and will do daily Facebook posts but there won’t be much time to write more while away.
Will be too busy (a) learning from the courses, (b) catching up with friends I only see online the rest of the year, (c) socialising with said friends, (d) enjoying my book launch for Seeing The Other Side and (e) knowing my fellas will be fine, wondering how the dog is doing!

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Am delighted to share a fabulous interview with Val Penny on Chandler’s Ford Today this week called Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder at Gilmerton.

I’m a great believer in having titles which “do as they say on the tin”. It’s a reference to the old Ronseal advert which always claimed “it does what it says on the tin”. Keep it clear and to the point!

Anyway, in this in depth conversation, Val brings us up to date with what has been going on in her writing life since she was last on CFT, not least of which is her move to Joffe Books. We also discuss back story (for series characters and one-off characters, who in Val’s books are often the victims), whether Val can read crime while she is writing her own or not, the advantages of using an area you know well as your setting and much, much more.

Plenty to enjoy here and, as ever, there are useful tips too.

Hope you enjoy the post and good luck with Murder in Gilmerton, Val.

Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lovely swim, my last one this side of Swanwick.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder at Gilmerton on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow. See above.

Val shares the changes in her writing and publishing life since she was last on CFT and there are plenty of useful thoughts and tips too. Be sure not to miss it, especially if you love crime fiction. Val’s books are a tremendous read but don’t just take my word for it. Check them out after seeing what she has to say about her new release on CFT. Link up tomorrow.

Now I hope to post daily from Swanwick but I will be having a big round up blog via my website after I get back. It will be easier as I mentioned yesterday. I’ll also resume my Substack and YouTube stories after Swanwick but hope to get some drafts down while there.

I do hope to come back buzzing with inspiration, mind you!

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Hope today has gone well. Lady was overjoyed to run around with Coco, the lovely Labradoodle, this morning. Must be a good month since we last met up.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing a smashing interview with Val Penny about Murder in Gilmerton for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. Do look out for that. Again, see above.

Have packed for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. As I go up by train, I can’t leave this until the last minute but it is good to have it done. Will be posting as and when next week and certain things I will probably leave until I get home again such as my Sunday stories and WordPress round up. Will resume those on my return. To be honest by the time you’ve been to the courses and workshops, caught up with pals, made new pals, enjoyed the evening entertainment, there’s not a lot of energy left for writing!

Naturally am so looking forward to my launch for Seeing The Other Side on Sunday too. Will be a busy and fun few days in the run up to Swanwick, while I am there, and catching up with everything on my return. It is a joy though! (I also anticipate being mugged by the dog on my return too – it’s what she usually does).

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It’s a busy Friday on the article front as my latest post on Writers’ Narrative, Is It Time For Your Characters To Get Away From It All, is also out today.

I look at the advantages of sending your characters away from their usual setting and share some favourite books of mine which have done just that.

Yes, for individual short stories and flash fiction, it is still possible to send a character away on vacation. You simply make it clear somewhere in the narrative they’re not in their usual location.

I look at using holidays as backdrops (which is why they can work so well in any length of tale), I share tips on how to best make use of holiday settings, and I set you a couple of questions which I hope will prove to be a good starting point for your own stories.

Hope you enjoy the post and you and your characters enjoy your holidays!

I’ve mentioned before I like to mix up the moods of the stories I write. Now this isn’t just down to how I’m feeling. I will often write a cheery piece when I feel anything but cheery. It can help and it does take my mind off things for a bit. Writing can be therapeutic like that at times. But I also think this is a reflection of life in general. It is a mix of moods. So how about this for some story ideas?

Theme Tip: Pick a well known proverb or saying and write two stories on it – one to be cheery, one to be anything but cheery (though that still leaves you a good range to choose from). This also makes for a great writing exercise. And if you’re stuck for the proverbs, use the random generators – the phrase one would be good for this.

Hope to draft some flash fiction pieces while I’m at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick shortly but will probably not get to share any on Substack or YouTube until after what is one of the major highlights of my writing year. Mind you, Swanwick is also a great opportunity to wave the flag for flash fiction, which I’m always glad to do.

Am also looking forward to the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side which will be from 7th to 13th September. More news later on that but it is the first time I’m having an “official” blog tour. It also makes a lovely change for me to be on the other side of the fence here as I do often support such tours for other authors so it’s nice to be able to join in myself!

Fairytales with Bite – Magical Get Togethers

I’m shortly going to head off to what I consider to be a magical get together – The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. It is one of the major highlights of my writing year and there is something magical about being able to spend time with writing friends, learning more about the industry, and just being immersed totally in the writing life for a few days.

For your magical characters/setting, what would count as a magical get together when magic, for them, is such an everyday thing? What would it take to make something stand out as special to them? Could it be an event where magic is specifically not allowed and everything is done “manually”?

What could happen against the backdrop of a magical get together which could not happen in ordinary life and who would want to take advantage of such a thing to cause that happening? What are they hoping to achieve? I could see some magical crime stories going on there!

Also, what one character would consider magical, another may think was humdrum. Why the difference in opinion? Who is right? Again there could be story ideas to explore from fleshing this out more – I could see there being clashes between the characters here.

This World and Others – Leaving The World Behind For a While

When I go to my big annual writing event in Derbyshire, which I will be heading to shortly, I get to leave the world behind for a while. For a few days I am immersed in the wonderful world of writing and I love it.

Am I glad to get back to reality again? Yes. Aside from being back with the family again, I am also keen to get to my desk again to write up those ideas I had while I was away. There are various ways to get away from it all for a bit and we are in holiday season as I write this.

So what would your magical/sci-fi characters do when they want to leave their worlds behind for a while (as we all do from time to time)? How easy or otherwise do they find shrugging off their responsibilities for a while? Does the break refresh them or do they come back, wanting to get away from it all on a more permanent basis? Plenty of story ideas there.

Even if the break is a normal holiday one, where would your characters go? How would it differ from their normal environment and is is the differences which draw them here? Do they try to introduce those differences to their home worlds? What kind of outcome/fall out would there be from this as there would be reactions!

Again, story ideas there.

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Events

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Had a fabulous weekend. Wonderful family wedding on the Saturday. I took our church service on Sunday and it was a time of peace and quiet reflection, which I appreciated.
Have to watch the hot temperatures again this week for Lady but she’s doing well. Am so looking forward to being at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick very soon. I will be posting as and when I can while there but may do one round up post next week and that on my return.

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Cooler but still not quite as cool as Lady and I would like. Still, we’re getting there.

Writing wise, I’m working out what I’d like to be going to at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick later this week. I do have basic ideas but know I will probably change my mind on at least some of them when I get there. It is almost a ritual for many of us! Good to have plenty of choice though!

Will be hosting an ACW group tomorrow night and am looking forward to that. We’ll be discussing all things science fiction/fantasy related though we often spin off into talking about writing issues too.

Character Tip: Know what makes your creations tick. Motivation really is everything. It is such a powerful driver and one readers will get behind even if they don’t approve of what the character is doing. It is, for me, what makes characters come to life almost more than anything else.

The countdown to Swanwick week begins! And that thought has cheered me up considerably given it has been another busy and very hot Monday.

Talking of Monday, it is time to share the story I put up on my Substack platform yesterday. This is one of my moving tales. Hope you enjoy The Newsletter.

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Yesterday’s family wedding was all you’d hope it would be – lovely, fun, and moving and a joy to be at. Managed to get some writing done on the way up to it and then posted the results on the way home! Writing on the move with someone else driving is great!

Pleased to say my author newsletter went out okay yesterday.

Have already packed quite a bit for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. There will a few bits and pieces to do later in the week but that’s it. Anyone would think I was keen!

Talking of this fabulous week, I will be posting at various times and some regular posts I may defer to when I am back home again. For example, my twice weekly blog round up over on my website may become once a week while I’m at Swanwick and then when I’m home. I’ll see how things go and how tired I am!

You get such a buzz from Swanwick in terms of being with other writers, as well as what you learn from the courses and workshops, by the time you get back to your room again, you’re usually just wanting to get some kip. (This is how it should be, of course!).

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Am on my way to a family wedding as I write this though whether I’ll get to post this today remains to be seen. I do love the notes app on my phone. Always use it when out and about. Have drafted plenty of useful material with it.

Writing wise, I’ll be welcoming Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, back to Chandler’s Ford Today to discuss her Murder in Gilmerton, which is part of her DI Hunter Wilson series.

Much has happened since I last interviewed Val, not least of which is her move to Joffe Books. We discuss that and more in an in-depth interview. Do look out for it next Friday.

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Have got a potential 250 word flash competition to have a go at, news of which landed in my inbox earlier this week. If I get any time at Swanwick, I will draft some thoughts, else it will be something I may have a go at on the train journeys up there and/or home again.

Love getting some writing done on the train and flash is wonderful for this. I can get a draft down in about half an hour or so, depending on word count.

Flash Tip: If you’re wondering what to write about, think about the themes which intrigue you the most and start from there. Look at why they intrigue you. Ideas may well start to spring up just by doing that. Guess how I know!

It’s Monday. It’s hot. It’s busy. It’s still hot. It’s still Monday. Time for another story from my YouTube channel then.

Hope you enjoy Spreading The News. Both this tale and my Substack one focus on a newsletter this time. Hope you enjoy both of them but now for the YouTube tale.

There are always consequences for critics of the fairy government. Find out what happens to Jasminda here.

 

Will be cracking on with flash fiction Sunday shortly after a busy weekend. Family wedding yesterday and I took a church service this morning. Part of my theme for that was the importance of keeping themes simple and to the point. They’re easier to remember that way. Oh and stories are a fantastic way of getting themes across to folk (and without preaching, which I know sounds ironic, but you really do want people to remember the theme).

None of this is new to any fiction writer, of course. For those of us focusing on the short forms, I think it is even more important for your theme to stand out. It will do a lot of the “heavy lifting” for you in terms of your word count if you get your characters to show the theme in “action”.

Readers will pick up on the inferences. Inference plays a huge role in short fiction, especially flash. And I must admit it is an aspect to flash I adore. I like to work things out. I just need the right clues from the author to do so.

Also delighted news of Seeing The Other Side went out on the Association of Christian Writers newsletter – again it’s a perk of membership. What’s nice about ACW is you have such a wide range of writers here – those, like me, who are Christians working in the secular market and others who do write direct devotional items. A broad church indeed.

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Inspiration for flash stories can come from practically anywhere but when you get to do some general observations, you can be spoiled for choice.

Am at a family wedding today so suspect ideas might strike if colours, clothing etc catch my eye. Will also have great observational opportunities when I head up to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick soon.

I always change something about what catches my eye and do likewise with prompts of any kind. I like to put my own spin on these things.

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Goodreads Author Blog – Events

Now that my third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side, is now out, I’m thinking about book events. There will be a launch at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and my publisher is planning an online event. I’ll also be having an event in Salisbury in early September (5th). I hope there will be more to come too.

Book events are obviously great for writers but how about for readers?

I think events are great opportunities for readers to discover writers whose work is new to them and you get the chance to quiz the authors. We love being asked about what we write! So if you can support author events, it would be much appreciated.

Events can also be fabulous parts of stories, of course. Given events of all kinds have an impact on us, it would be odd for this not to be reflected in fiction. Where would Pride and Prejudice be without the ball at Netherfield or The Lord of The Rings without Gandalf turning up in The Shire? That was seen as a big event especially by Frodo who had no idea then just how big a turning point it would be for him.

So let’s celebrate the events, whether we hold them, go to them, or read about them.

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Marketing and Writing

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. MANY THANKS TO ADRIAN SYMES FOR FILMING ME OPENING MY COPIES OF SEEING THE OTHER SIDE – SEE BELOW.
Hope you have had a good week so far. Cracking one here. My copies of Seeing The Other Side are now with me and look wonderful. Have had to switch to a hot weather schedule for Lady again (and will probably have to do so again next week).

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Delighted to share Marketing and Writing on Chandler’s Ford Today this week.

I look at balancing writing and marketing time, which is never easy to get right. I look at marketing you can enjoy (honest!) and share tips about writing about the book you have written, which can seem such a strange thing to have to do.

Hope you find the post useful. Am very much writing about what I know right now!

Marketing and Writing

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Many thanks for the lovely responses to my sharing of the “author opening box of books” video I posted yesterday. See below. Much appreciated, folks.

Am continuing to keep Lady out of the heat. She’s doing fine but loathes this temperature. I’m no fan either.

Writing wise, I’m sharing Marketing and Writing on Chandler’s Ford Today this week, both topics being at the top of my agenda right now. Link up tomorrow. I’ll be sharing tips which I hope will prove useful. See above.

There could only be one post on this page from me today and I’m glad to share my news via my YouTube channel. A huge thanks to Adrian Symes for filming this. It’s the kind of marketing which is difficult to do on your own!

Am delighted to share the classic “author receiving their new books” video. This has been a long time in coming but am so glad to share this now. Says it all!

A huge thank you to Gill James and all at Bridge House/Chapeltown Books. I know I’m biased but I think Seeing The Other Side looks fabulous and it is a joy to have my copies to hand. Now to start organising events (and I will have news to share on the Swanwick one soon too).

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Another hot day here and Lady remains on the hot weather schedule. She’s doing fine. Have come across a few stories about dogs dying from heatstroke. Am not taking the risk. Pleased to say she’s sensible and, unlike my other two collies, I don’t have to persuade Lady to drink water. She’s pretty good on that.

Writing wise, I’ll be doing various bits and pieces over the weekend including marketing work, which given my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week is called Marketing and Writing is apt! Have also added a copy of my Seeing The Other Side to the shelf where I keep my works, the anthologies I have work in, and books written and signed for me by friends.

Also pleased to report I will have another super interview coming up on Chandler’s Ford Today in due course. More news on that nearer the time.

Hope today has gone well. Appreciated my swim today! Another hot one here.

I now have details of my book launch at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick for my Seeing The Other Side but I’ll share further details firstly in my author newsletter on 1st August and then here after that. It makes sense to me to share the news in the week running up to it happening! Am glad it is all set up though and am looking forward to this a lot.

I also hope to share a few stories from the book at the launch and at the Open Prose Mic Night Swanwick runs, assuming my name is drawn out of the box. There can be a waiting list. Mind you, the Prose Night is something I try not to miss, whether I’m taking part or not, because it is fabulous listening to a selection of works by other writers and there is something wonderful about being read to by someone else for your entertainment.

Great day here – I now have my copies of Seeing The Other Side. So pleased about that. Will have news soon about launches, both the one planned to be held at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, and one which Bridge House Publishing will do online.

It is such a joy to hold my author copy and see my work in print once again. That buzz never leaves you, no matter how few or many books or other publication credits you have.

It is great to see work come to fruition when all is said and done.

Fairytales With Bite – Fairy Godmother = Acrostic

F = Fantasy figure, usually has a heart of gold but not always.
A = Always has a magic wand or several to hand.
I = Imaginative in many ways, likes old school traditions in others.
R = Respects those who try to be kind, curses those who are not.
Y = You cross this figure at your own risk.

G = Granny like sometimes, attractive young woman at others but don’t be fooled by appearances.
O = Old magic as well as new is like drawing breath to her and she uses both types at will.
D = Drawn to helping those deserving of help, drawn to teaching the arrogant a lesson the hard way.
M = Magic used with the right motivations behind it is what keeps her going.
O = Opponents are soon shown the error of the ways; where she can’t beat them, she’ll neutralise what they do.
T = Threats are no deterrent and she never makes any herself unless she knows she will carry them out.
H = Hotheads are soon made to cool down with her aptly chosen spell.
E = Endings, where she is involved, are usually on the happy side, unless you are her opponent.
R = Remember her powers, remember respect, all will be well.

Allison Symes – 8th July 2026

This World and Others – Bending The Rules

I’ve long had a soft spot for characters who bend the rules, especially when they’re doing so to help someone else and there is no other obvious way forward. I’ve written characters like this myself.

But what makes a character even think about doing that in the first place? They must know deep down that, given certain circumstances, this is what they would do.

Often with my fairy godmother kind of character, they’ve long had issues with some of the petty rules and regulations they have to follow. Now sometimes with my characters, those rules really are petty. Sometimes they’re not and it is my character who is the problem. Both kinds of attitude are fun to write up into stories.

But knowing what motivates your character here is vital. It won’t be convincing if they seem to break the rules or bend them for no apparent reason. There will be a reason somewhere and it doesn’t have to be one you or your readers agree with but it has to be one they can understand your character having.

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Author Interview – Introducing Penny Rogers and Amelie At The Window

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Image Credits:- All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. One photo of me at a local book fair was taken by my lovely Chandler’s Ford Today editor, Janet Williams. Many thanks to Penny Rogers and Bridge House Publishing for photos supplied for my Chandler’s Ford Today interview with Penny this week. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes, as was one photo from a previous Bridge House Publishing celebration event.
Hope the week has gone well for you. Lady has got to see her two closest chums several times this week so they’ve all had a great week, despite the fireworks. Had a most enjoyable time at an ACW genre group and am making good progress with writing and editing. So not bad at all here really!

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I’m delighted to welcome fellow Bridge House Publishing author, Penny Rogers, to Chandler’s Ford Today this week to discuss her lovely new book, Amelie At The Window.

As well as sharing what inspired her to write the book (which takes in two time frames – 1914 and 1924), Penny looks at what led her into writing and shares tips she has found useful. If you like historical fiction, do check this out. More in the interview – link below.

Penny and I share a mutual love of flash fiction and short stories and she shares her thoughts on those wonderful forms too.

Penny is also having an online launch next week. There is a link to this in the interview. It is free to attend and I am sure Penny would love to see you attend if you can. (I’ve already booked my ticket).

Author Interview – Introducing Penny Rogers and Amelie At The Window

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Lady had a lovely time in the park with her Hungarian Vizler pal today so has had a cracking week so far in that she has seen her best friends all week.

Writing wise, I am welcoming Penny Rogers to Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow to discuss her new book, Amelie At The Window. Amelie is an unforgettable character.

Penny and I discuss the book, along with Penny’s writing life in flash fiction and short stories. Plus there will be much more to enjoy and find useful as Penny shares writing tips and her thoughts on marketing and much else. Do look out for that tomorrow. (It is especially nice for me to welcome a fellow Bridge House Publishing author to CFT of course). See above.

Plus there will be two smashing play reviews to come in the next couple of weeks on CFT too.

Hope you’ve had a good day. Lady got to see her two best pals again today and all of them had a lovely time. Lady is now curled up indoors and we are listening to Pet Classics on Classic FM.  The idea is to play plenty of soothing classical music to helps pets anxious with all of the fireworks going off etc. This was on Bonfire Night, 5th November, but they are running another Pet Classics on Saturday 8th November. It is an excellent idea.

We’ve found it helps Lady, along with things like shutting the curtains early, turning up the volume on the radio/TV, and yes she does have a den to go to should she need it. Our local schools are having a laser show this year which is great and I hope everyone enjoys it. I also hope people do turn to the silent fireworks as they’re easier to buy now. I always write with classical music on and find it helps a lot. It gets me into the “zone” so so speak.

Writing wise, I’m looking forward to joining in with an ACW genre group later this evening. Always good fun. Am also busy preparing my reviews. I know. No reviews for ages and then I get to do two at once.

Enjoying the Flash NANO prompts so far too and will have a go at today’s one a little later on.


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Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest drabble, But Why? This was fun to write and I hope it makes you laugh, which is always a nice way to end the working week. If you’ve ever had a culinary disaster, you should like this one!

Have not really noted my word count for the Flash NANO prompts so far but looking at what I’ve come up with so far, I would say they’re at my favourite range of sub-500 words. Enjoying the challenges and will crack on with the next one later this evening. This is the thing with Flash NANO – thirty prompts in thirty days – game on, as far as I’m concerned. It’s a fantastic way of increasing my output over a month!

Some of the stories from previous Flash NANOs will be in my third book, Seeing The Other Side, in due course too. I also expect to use some (and have in the past) for competitions.

Am sorry it’s ending but hope there will be another good challenge to take its place. Meanwhile there are two other competitions I want to have a go at this year and hope to begin work on those soon. Both are flash competitions.

I love mixing up the mood of the tales I write in flash fiction, I will often have a spate where I deliberately want to go for the lighter hearted kind of story and then at other times, I am writing on the grimmer side of life. But you can do this with flash and I love mixing up the word counts I write to as well.

Given I’ve always loved inventing people, it is easily my favourite part of writing fiction, I get to do this all of the time with flash and I’ve gone on to write about other species too. Well, why not write from the viewpoint of aliens, mother dragons etc! It’s fun!

Am also looking forward to the Bridge House Publishing celebration event next month and have booked my train tickets today. It’s a great, fun event and it’s lovely meeting up with other BHP authors, most of whom I only get to see in person at this event. It’s a great celebration of short fiction too as most of us here are short story writers and flash authors. Some are novelists too.

Fairytales with Bite – Lighter Characters

I love stories which include lighter characters in the tale. They are great for providing much needed light relief. After all, don’t we appreciate those friends who make us smile so why wouldn’t our characters feel the same way about characters who do this for them?

That doesn’t mean we put these characters in for the sake of it. They still need a vital role of their own in the tale but they can give much needed shade and colour in a story which is on the grim side, say. And if you’re writing a humorous tale, well you will need plenty of lighter characters to help supply the smiles!

Lighter characters can be interesting for another reason. Have they always been that way or have episodes in their life led them to develop a lighter persona as their way of coping with what they have gone through? Good story ideas to explore there.

Equally are lighter characters covering up a darker, criminal side perhaps? Again good story ideas to find there, I think.

In a magical setting, would lighter characters be deemed to be those who don’t have so many magical powers? They are considered lightweight by others but aren’t necessarily so, maybe? Again story ideas to find there, especially if they can find ways to develop greater powers (and what would they be prepared to do to achieve that)?

This World and Others – Who Decides What is Dark Anyway?

We all know what good and evil are, right? Certainly all of us have ideas on this and the majority of us will hold the same values in common.

But is this true for your magical setting? What would they see as good or evil? Do they share our views or are they the opposite?

Amongst your characters, do certain species hold certain values in common while others definitely do not? What does pass for the law in your setting? Who enforces it? Who does decide just what is dark anyway? How can they get the main species to agree on what should be held in common? There would have to be some agreement else there could be no way for a sensible form of government to happen, there would be anarchy.

Also has your setting’s view changed on all of this over time and have any particular historical acts led to changes coming in here? After all our own laws have changed many times over the centuries.

If your setting has been threatened by other worlds, did your setting unite to face it and defeat it? Or were there divisions? An enemy could exploit the latter. But the darkness would have to be faced and dealt with in some way.

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Books Which Live On

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. One image of me holding Creativity Matters and my flash collections was taken by Adrian Symes, as was the photo of me signing copies of Tripping The Flash Fantastic. I was being watched over by a distinctly unimpressed Lady! Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you had a good weekend. Fabulous one here – lovely family party. Good time had by all, including the dogs. Lady was so tired on Saturday night! Pleased to say the second part of the serialisation of Seeing The Other Side is now on CafeLit – link below. Looking forward also to helping a friend with her online book launch on 1st August – details below.

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lady had a lovely time in the park. Have been very busy, so much so my feet feel like they need a retread! Good to be at the desk writing.

Don’t forget it won’t be long before my next author newsletter will be out. To sign up do head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

I share news, tips, discuss a topic, and share story links, including to the partial serialisation of my Seeing The Other Side plus more on my newsletter. Would be good to have you aboard. A huge thanks to all who support me here. It is much appreciated.

Am looking forward to watching The Chameleon Theatre Company perform the stage version of Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island later this week. Should be great fun. I plan to review it for Chandler’s Ford Today at a later date.

Plus I am off to visit a Jane Austen exhibition at the weekend. Plenty going on. Loving it all.

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Hope your week has got off to a good start. Lady got to play with Coco, the lovely Labradoodle, today and saw Tao, who looks as if he could be Lady’s big brother (but isn’t!).

Event News:  Am delighted to say I’ll be quizzing dear friend and former ACW colleague, Rosemary Johnson, about her new book, Past and Present, which has recently been published by Bridge House Publishing. She will be holding an online book launch via Eventbrite, hosted by Bridge House Publishing, on Friday 1st August from 7.15 pm (UK time). The event will last for an hour.

Do check out the link to find out more – the event is free. Rosemary will also be sharing extracts from her book so if you love stories, especially those of a historical ilk, do come and join us on 1st August. And you can put questions to the author herself too. Hope to see you there.

Lovely family party yesterday. Weather okay in the end (and thankfully cooler thanks to the rain in the morning). Lady enjoyed playing the role of doggy host to Lily and Teddy. Lady was absolutely shattered at the end – caught her out for the count in our passageway. She also slept really well last night but I suspect those of us with two legs, as well as those with the four, all did!

In writing news, I will have news of an event I am helping with for a friend’s book launch in the next day or so. Launch itself will be on 1st August. See above.

Serialisation News:  And I am pleased to share the second part of the serialisation of my Seeing The Other Side (due out on May 2026). Hope you enjoy the selection in the link.

Hope you’ve had a good day. Other half had his birthday yesterday. Family do today. Great fun. Wonderful seeing everyone. Knackering? You bet but isn’t that the sign of a good party?

Writing wise, I’m looking forward to welcoming fellow Swanwicker and flash fiction writer, Esther Chilton, to Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday to discuss her new book, The Secret Dragon. Looking forward to sharing that. The book is aimed at 5-7 year olds and I can tell you now the blurb and extract she shares with me for the post makes me almost wish I was that age range again! More nearer the time.

Sometimes things occur which you hadn’t thought about but it has a special resonance. Yesterday, 18th July, I shared my Authors Electric post about Jane Austen. Her birthday is commemorated later this year (December) but 18th July is the anniversary of her death in Winchester. I hadn’t picked up on that. Always good to re-read her works though. You don’t need a special event for that.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Hope the day has been a good one. Have a couple of competitions (flash ones) in mind to start drafting for at the weekend (or at least I hope to get to do that. Do have plenty of time for the deadlines which helps).

Also looking forward to the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting on Zoom next week. Will be looking at the topic of summer for that. The seasons can throw up plenty of ideas for stories.

Also do consider using the game of Word Association to help trigger prompts, which in turn can trigger story ideas.

It’s Monday. It has been an especially hectic one, at least for me. All I know is it is time for a story. Hope you like my latest on You Tube – Prompts.

Which three prompts could Shirley pick out to cause any concern to Barry, someone who has never understood her wish to write? Find out here.

 

Hope all well with you. Will be getting on with flash fiction Sunday shortly after a lively and fabulous weekend.

The second part of the serialisation of my Seeing The Other Side is now out on CafeLit. See the link (though it is over on my author page here too).

One of the nice things about having a book accepted is getting to read your stories again after a gap apart from them. I hope to take part in the Open Prose Mic night at Swanwick again this year so hope to share some of my new material from this book there too. 
Did manage to get my competition story off during the week, the one I mentioned last weekend. Have another competition to have a crack at – a lovely 750 words one. Plus there is another one which links with a book festival where I can go up to 1000 words.

I sometimes have a look at my past Flash NANO stories and polish those up for competitions. They’ve had long enough to rest up before I use them. I can usually spot things I can strengthen them so I do. When I draft those tales for the event in November each year, I do have this idea in mind. I’ve found it useful.

Goodreads Author Blog – Books Which Live On

Books which live on is an apt topic for me at the moment as I’ve just written about Jane Austen for another blog I contribute to monthly and it was a lovely, enjoyable thing to do. Her books will live on and have lived on long after her because she creates such memorable characters and situations. That, I think, is the secret to any good story.

Yes, sure, styles of storytelling do change over the years. We don’t need descriptions in the way Dickens wrote them because we have our own references to helps us picture things. His readers would not have had those things – being in the film, radio and TV age does make a difference, as does universal education. But we can still understand his characters and what motivates them. I do feel it is the characters which are the important connection in any story.

Any book which does that should live on. I think the classic books can give us insights as to how life was lived back then so they can be educational in that respect. I don’t want stories dismissed just because they’re old or not read for that reason. (Same applies to the authors!).


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WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK 

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Author Interview: Catching Up With Ruth Leigh – The Further Adventures of Ruth Leigh

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Ruth Leigh and Social Shapes for some of the images in my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week.
Hope you have had a good few days. Continuing to enjoy lovely autumn weather here. Lady continuing to have a riot with her pals in the park. All is well! On the writing front, I’m delighted to say my story, Spade Work, will be broadcast by Hannah Kate on North Manchester FM on 21st September (between 2 and 4 pm). Hope to share the link later.

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Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

I’m so pleased to welcome back Ruth Leigh to Chandler’s Ford Today to discuss her new book, The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge. Isabella is one of those unforgettable, touching, and funny characters, it was clear from the outset she would need more than one book!

In this in depth interview, Ruth and I discuss what she loves about Isabella and who Ruth would pick to play the role should Isabella ever come to the screen. Ruth also shares some wonderful tips about book launches. If you’re thinking of having a launch, do check these out.

Ruth also discusses what inspired her to write A Great Deal of Ingenuity and The Little Unexpected Book of Poetry which came out since the last CFT interview and we both celebrate being Jane Austen nerds.

Ruth also shares how her writing life has taken off in other directions with Resolute Books and the British Christian Writing Conference. There are also valuable tips on websites and the challenge of managing both writing and marketing time.

Plenty to enjoy then and lots of useful advice and tips for other writers. Do enjoy. And congratulations, Ruth, on the fourth installment centred on your wonderful heroine.

Catching Up with Ruth Leigh – The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge

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Lovely start to my day as I found out my story, Spade Work, will be broadcast on Hannah Kate’s Autumn Equinox show on North Manchester FM on Saturday, 21st September. I hope to share a link later. Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for flagging this one up.

Am looking forward to listening in as there is always a lovely mix of stories on these shows. Will be interesting to find out how the autumn theme has been taken by the other contributors.

Flash works well on radio and/or Open Prose Mic Nights precisely because you have a contained story which doesn’t take too much time to read out/listen to.

Am also looking forward to taking part in Flash NANO again in November. Hope to get thirty more draft stories out of that!

Screenshot 2024-09-19 at 17-19-48 Hannah Kate on X 🍂 Coming up on Sat at 2pm it's the Hannah's Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special on @normanfm1066 featuring flash fiction from Jess Richards Carmen Walton @mariascohut @noodle[...]

Another lovely autumn day here and Lady had a fabulous puppy party with her chums, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Coco, the Labradoodle. Tired but oh so happy dogs went home. Lovely to watch them at play.

Am pleased to be back on Authors Electric with my post Directions. I look at how my writing life has been an upside down one and why I’ve learned not to worry about my writing life changing direction. I hadn’t started out writing the short form at all but when I did get around to that, it twisted again when I discovered flash fiction and from that the joys of learning to write tight and to never fear editing or being edited again. The latter alone has proved useful to me.

Wherever you are on your writing journey, I hope the “ride” is a good one and the turns you take prove to be useful to you. Hope you enjoy the post.

WORD OF WARNING:  Annoyingly there are two useless comments on my Authors Electric post, one of which is potentially dodgy. I have flagged them up to the admins of Authors Electric. These comments weren’t there when I published the post.

One is advertising how to hire a hacker. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THAT COMMENT OR CLICK ON THE PERSON’S ICON. I dread to think where that would take you.

The other is about recipes, irrelevant to a writing post. It is the bane of all website owners to have to deal with this kind of thing. Please DO enjoy my post though. I hope you find it useful.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

It’s Friday, the end of the working week for many. Time for a story then. Hope you enjoy The Case. If there is a moral to this one, it is to take a hint seriously when you are given one. Find out what happens given my character David didn’t do that.

Screenshot 2024-09-20 at 10-06-36 The Case by Allison Symes - Friday Flash Fiction

Hope you have had a good day. Lovely autumn weather continuing here. Delighted to say I’ll be on Hannah Kate’s show on Saturday afternoon on North Manchester FM. The theme for the show in the Autumn Equinox. Will share a link when I get one. Next seasonal theme I will write something for will be, dare I say it so early, a festive one. Festive flash is so enjoyable to write. I do think the aim there is to make the stories fun. At least that’s the take I try to use for it!

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A lovely review for From Light to Dark and Back Again describes the book as From Light to Dark and Back Again is indeed, as the subtitle states, ‘a collection very short stories to suit every mood’ – be it mournful, pithy or murderous.

Many thanks to Book Reader for that one. Please note though Amazon say the book isn’t available in paperback that isn’t the case. All Chapeltown Books are print on demand so it isn’t a question of unavailability. Print on demand doesn’t have a use by date!

Also you can order directly from me. Just contact me via my website (https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/contact/) or you can go to my publisher’s bookshop, The Bridgetown Cafe Bookshop. See link.

Screenshot 2024-09-20 at 20-31-21 The Bridgetown Café Bookshop From Light to Dark and Back Again

Fairytales with Bite – Professional Practices

Think about the professions in your magical setting. Think about the obvious ones like witch, wizard, fairy godmother etc. Behind any profession there is usually a service industry. Within the profession there is usually a set of professional practices or some sort of Code of Practice.

So what would make up the service industries here? Someone has to supply the magical equipment and test it so it is good to be used on a wider scale. Someone else would write the spell books (and those would have been tested and proved to work at some point, else why include them?).

Then there would be whoever supplied the ingredients or someone who brought out the latest model of wand etc. Also who taught those who work in the professions? What rigorous standards do they have to teach to? Do you have the magical equivalent of Ofsted here?

So all sorts of things then go on behind any job in our world and the same would apply in a magical one.

Fairies may be born but they would have to be trained. They will need to know how to use their equipment and so on, They will be expected to stick to what most accept as a reasonable code of conduct (noting there would always be some who defy these things).

As for the professional practices/Code, who wrote these? Who approved them? What led to there being a need for them in the first place? What would happen to anyone who went against these things?

Story ideas there for sure!

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This World and Others – Unions/Guilds

Given the need for professions in any world, who cares for the workers in those professions? Would there be the magical equivalent of trade unions? Are there guilds ensuring professional practices, as referred to in Fairytales with Bite, are adhered to? Who runs these things and how did they get into those roles?

Who would they answer to and do the workers have the right to hold their union officials, as well as their bosses, to account where necessary? How does the employment world work in your setting? Story ideas there too!

On a lighter note, as for possible magical trade unions how about the following:-

The FGTU – The Fairy Godmother Trade Union. Motto: Clocking off is always at midnight, not a moment sooner or later.

NRG – Nursery Rhyme Guild. Motto: There for the talking bears to ensure they always get their furniture and porridge replaced.

MCWU – Mouse Clock Winders’ Union. Motto: Ensuring the clocks always read 1 am or 1 pm – nothing else. Members here cannot be a member of the FGTU as well due to an obvious conflict of interests.

COBBLERS Guild – Collective of Brave Blue-collar Leather-working Elves Restoring Shoes Guild – Motto: Always proud to help the small businessman who is kind but has fallen on hard times.

Hope you enjoyed those. For story purposes though the world of employment (on both sides of the fence) could be a good source for ideas.

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WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

This time I share the April 2024 edition of the magazine which is on a theme close to my heart, editing. I ask the big question – Editing:  Do You Love It or Loathe It?

 

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Twitter Corner with hashtag, Scrabble tiles, and the blue bird

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Music and Characters

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Facebook – General

Loved listening to a wonderful hour of Dr Who music on Classic FM tonight. Each piece brought back many happy memories of wonderful editions of the show. I suppose that is one reason why I love music – it can be so evocative – and for films/TV etc, it can really help set the tone for what is to come.

With stories, of course, there is no background music usually! We have to set the mood through what we reveal about our characters in what they say, think, and do. But the great thing about being the writer of the stories is you get to make the characters dance to YOUR tune! The really fun bit is making that tune varied – no monotones here, thank you.

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It was great fun earlier today taking part in #ValPenny‘s book launch for her second novel in the Edinburgh Crime Series, Hunter’s Revenge. Many thanks, Val!

The great thing about things like this is it makes you think about what you are reading and what you particularly enjoy.

The big thing for me with series novels is discovering how the characters change and develop from one book to another. Great fun. I also see it as getting more than one story for your money.

Not only is there the individual story of each book to follow, you get to see how your favourite (and least favourite) characters move on or not, as the case may be.

My overall favourite for character development is Terry Pratchett’s Sam Vimes. Compare him with how he appears in Guards, Guards to how he is in Raising Steam. Literally a character that comes a long way!

Good luck to Val and I hope everyone has a fabulous time with their reading and writing. It should be fun.

 

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How often do you review where you are with your writing? I tend to do this at the end of each year. What I’m looking for here is where I’ve been published during the last 12 months and whether I’ve achieved something I’ve not done before. I also set myself a couple of goals that I’d like to achieve in the next 12 months.

With regard to my CFT posts, I tend to look back at my topics every time I write a new article. This is partly because I’m looking for links to go with the current post. Often one writing related topic will kick off ideas for others. I love that when this happens.

In fiction, what I really love is getting ideas for other characters from the characters in the story I’m currently writing. Say Character A acts in a certain way due to pressure being put on them, I come up with a Character B who faces different pressures but reacts differently.

I love the creative buzz you get. It is always a good sign when you are buzzing with ideas to write up at some point.

Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.
Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
Online writing -v- on a line writing! Image via Pixabay
A truly beautiful book. Pixabay image.
It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image
Always time for a laugh with writer friends! Many thanks to Cheryl Holland for taking this with my phone.
Always good advice! Pixabay image.
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.

Other than people giving plot endings away, what is the one thing you loathe most which is writing connected? (I take loathing the giving the plot endings away thing as read by the way!).

I suppose mine is when someone believes short stories (including flash fiction) must be easier to write than a novel. What is forgotten here is, no matter the length of story, all tales have to be edited and polished well ahead of submitting them anywhere.

Sure, a novel is going to take longer. Of course it is but it doesn’t mean short stories (including flash fiction) are any less worthwhile. Far from it. And, of course, many novelists write shorter pieces too!

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Managed to write some flash fiction on the way to and from an Association of Christian Writers Committee meeting today. I do love using train journeys for this! I find it liberating to be writing but away from my desk.

I drafted a nice mix too – one story was a very short piece, the other I think is going to come in at about 200 words, but both can be submitted somewhere later once I’ve had the chance to polish them.

Looking forward to giving a brief talk on flash fiction at the Hampshire Writers’ Society in October. Will post more details nearer the time.

Fiction should show you new ways of looking at the world. Image via Pixabay.
The beautifully decorated section of the Winchester Discovery Centre where the local authors gathered recently. Image by Allison Symes
Editing – the crucial part to getting a story right. Image via Pixabay.
What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.
Is the truth welcome in your fictional world? How does your community react to it?. Image via Pixabay.
Books are a fantastic form of escapism. Image via Pixabay
Getting away from it all by train. Pixabay image.
Let those ideas flow! Image via Pixabay,
Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.
The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay
Fiction is strengthened when backed by fact. Image via Pixabay

I like story collections which offer a variety of moods of story. I see it as dipping into a “selection box” of story treats (and a lot less fattening than dipping into an actual selection box!). This is why I wanted From Light to Dark and Back Again to be like this and that mood selection inspired the title too.

As for flash fiction collections on single themes, I like those too. (Dawn Knox’s The Great War is a fabulous example of this). Don’t know if I’ll go that route myself but it’ll be posted here first if I do! It’s fantastic having so much choice with flash fiction.

My book on sale at Bay Leaves Larder, a wonderful local cafe that does a lot to support writers in the area.
Preparing a talk or a flash fiction story perhaps. Image via Pixabay.
The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay
What every writer needs. Image via Pexels.
Back cover of FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes
Flash fiction, by its nature, has to take one look at a situation to be a story but you can get quite a bit into that “one look”. Image via Pixabay.
Where my stories are in print. Image by Allison Symes
Creating great characters does mean hard work. Image via Pexels.
Chapeltown Books have a distinctive central image in a frame such as with mine. Image by Allison Symes
What most writers connect to! Image via Pexels
There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)
Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay
Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.
FLTDBA for sale in the Swanwick Book Room. Image by Allison Symes
Let your stories have impact. Image via Pixabay

I like being able to come up with different settings for my flash fiction stories. Though my rule here is one setting for one story and generally one character too. (Sometimes I’ll use two but if I’m keeping to the 100-word limit especially it is nearly always one character only and often I’m telling the story in the first person for a more immediate impact).

The great thing is the character or the setting can dictate the story genre being used. If I mention a character is a fairy godmother, well you’ve got the fantasy genre there in a nutshell. What images you have of what a fantasy world with fairy godmothers in it looks like will almost certainly differ from the images I conjure up here (pun intended!), but that’s good. We bring our differing experiences and thoughts when we read a story. How much more when we write them too!

Fairytale magic can go awry – characters lose powers or become power obsessed. Neither is a pretty sight. Image via Pixabay.
Aiming for more “magic” from my stories this year! Image via Pixabay.
What lies beyond the shore…. ideas for stories? Image via Pixabay
The Kindle. Has expanded my reading (no more worrying about how many books I can take on holiday either!). Image via Pixabay.
Simply stunning… image via Pixabay
Beautiful pens. Pexels image.
My laminated book cover on the way into the Fair. Image by Allison Symes
Shakespeare had his quill, modern writers have their laptops. Image via Pixabay.
Stories can take you to fantastic places. Pixabay image.
Where almost all stories spring from these days. Image via Pixabay.
The perfect place to reflect and take stock. Pixabay image.
Studying to see if all the corrections have been dealth with. Pixabay image.

I find it hard to say whether I prefer writing the lighter or darker stories in From Light to Dark and Back Again (and indeed the book I’m currently working on).

I love coming up with something humorous but with the darker pieces, I often feel there is more character development in those.

Certainly whenever I read darker flash fiction whether it is written by myself or others, I am always wondering what led to that character being like this and thinking about what their back story could have been. This is a good sign as it shows that character has really come to life in your imagination.

With humorous pieces, I am kind of working to the “punchline” though this must wrap the story up beautifully, make sense, and be funny.

I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Another one I’ve yet to see happen. Pixabay image.
My stand at the Winchester discovery Centre event. Image by Allison Symes
Stories can take you to fantastic places. Pixabay image.
Something I’ve yet to see happen! Pixabay image.
I don’t understand those who dislike books, in whatever format. Image via Pixabay.
Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay
What writing triggers will help you create your new worlds? Image via Pixabay

Goodreads Author Blog – Read the Book First or Watch the Film?

When it comes to adaptations, do you read the original book first or watch the film and then decide to go and read the book?

I must admit I’ve done both. I read The Lord of the Rings before seeing the films. I read Oliver Twist after seeing Alec Guinness play Fagin on TV all those years ago. (Mesmerising performance in evil manipulation there!).

I must admit one thing I love about the Muppets’ version of A Christmas Carol is they plug reading the original book right at the end of the film. (And they’re right – you should read it!).

A good adaptation will bring a story to life and help draw people into reading the original book. A bad one will do the exact opposite!

So where DO you turn first – the book or the film? Why do you think you’ve chosen as you have?

Unless in a thunder storm or high winds, this is a good idea! Image via Pexels
Someone likes a light read. Pixabay image.
Never give up, work hard, be disciplined… all valuable traits for success, whether you’re a tennis player, a writer or a character in a story! Image via Pixabay.
Time for the SERIOUS reading! Pixabay image.
Says it all really. Image via Pixabay. And am glad to say my poorly border collie, Mabel, has very much been showing this spirit.
I try NOT to chain down my creativity! Pexels image.
Something I’ve yet to see happen! Pixabay image.
Where will your writing take you? Forward into the future or backwards in time? Image via Pixabay.
Images from the magical world… Image via Pixabay
Let the words flow! Image via Pixabay.
Reviews can have global reach. Most impact I think can often be local to the writer.
Let the ideas flow and let journeys encourage that! Image via Pixabay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW ANTHOLOGY, A BOOK FAIR AND HOW I FELL INTO FLASH FICTION

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Delighted to say I received my copies of The Best of Cafelit 6 today. My flash fiction tale, Pressing the Flesh, is in there but there is a lovely range of short and long stories in the anthology. Highly recommend even if I wasn’t in it (though I admit that does give me an incentive!). Am also looking forward to the Bridge House/Cafelit celebration event in December. It is always good fun and it will be nice to meet other authors in the collections given we usually only get to meet on Facebook. Great and useful though that is, there is something nice about actually meeting the writer though.

The link takes you to the Amazon page for the book.  There’s a nice range of stories from flash fiction to standard length short stories and a good mix of styles.  Go on, have a look!

Looking forward to the Chandler’s Ford Book Fair in the Age Concern Centre in Brownhill Road on 28th October from 10 am to 12 noon. There is a nice range of authors taking part with different genres represented including YA, short stories, romantic comedy, my own flash fiction and many more besides. So there should be something to suit the book lovers in your life (which I hope would include you too!).

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My CFT post this week will be an update from Anne Wan about her book launch went for Secrets of the Snow Globe – Shooting Star. This is the second book in her Snow Globe series and these will also be at the Book Fair. Book launches are vital not just for the author but often for the bookshop or other venue in which they are held. Events do get people through the doors.

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Many thanks to Catherine Griffin for supplying the Book Fair poster, to Anne Wan for her poster and the last image shows Anne and I at Bay Leaves Larder in Chandler’s Ford. I had just interviewed Anne for a CFT post when this image was taken.

Anne Wan and Allison Symes at Bay Leaves Larder

Anne and I enjoyed a lovely chat at Bay Leaves Larder when I interviewed her for Chandler’s Ford Today.

 

Facebook – General – Part 2

I thought I’d share a quick post I put up yesterday which looked at why we write.

What is the real reason you write? To express yourself through story? Because you absolutely have to write and could no more stop yourself doing so than hold the sea in a sieve? (I think you’re allowed one bit of colourful description and that’s mine for tonight!).

Deep down for me, there is a feeling I need to give back to the world of story for the great joy it has (and continues) to give me. The way to give back is to create stories of my own and to put them out there.

There is also the sheer love of the written word and a desire to preserve the printed word. (I don’t see the Kindle etc as a threat. It is merely another format for story. I also don’t think anything can ever stop the appeal of a paperback. It is a question of getting stories out there in different formats and leaving it to your audience as to which format they prefer).

Sometimes, especially when feeling bogged down, it can pay to take a little time out to focus on why you write. It can help re-invigorate the old creative spark. Going to see stories performed (by live reading, theatre productions etc) is also good for the literary soul.

The important thing is to love stories and to love writing them. I couldn’t tell you how many rejections I’ve had (I definitely could wallpaper the room of my house with them!) but onwards and upwards has to be the motto. Else you make no progress. It is also true the more you write the more you improve and increase your chances of being accepted.

Stunning place in which to read and review - image via Pixabay

What a place in which to read!  Image via Pixabay

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I was thrilled to be part of Jennifer C Wilson’s blog last Sunday with a piece called Falling into Flash Fiction. I talked about how I came into writing flash (it was a happy accident!) and shared two new stories, which I hope will make it into the follow-up to From Light to Dark and Back Again. (Many thanks to Jennifer for not only hosting me but for also linking to her lovely review of my book. Both are much appreciated!).

The real trigger point was my willingness to have a go at writing flash to see if I could meet Cafelit’s 100 Word Challenge. So do be prepared to try new forms of writing. You never know where it may lead you. I had never anticipated being published in flash format yet here I am!

What is also nice about flash fiction’s growing popularity is that a fair number of well respected competitions are now adding it as a category. For example, The Bridport Prize and the Winchester Writers’ Festival now have flash as specific competitions. There are several online competitions too and then there are the websites such as Cafelit where there is a standing invitation to submit stories.

I very much hope the growth in flash fiction continues. I would love it if people, perhaps reluctant to read, become avid readers, because they loved reading flash and then decided they wanted to read longer works of fiction.

 

Falling into flash fiction
Today, I have as a visitor the lovely Allison Symes, to tell us how she fell into flash fiction, and all about the writing form. You can read my review of Allison’s collection From Light to D…
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PRIZES, LAUNCHES AND PRESENTATIONS

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Facebook – General

Glad to say From Light to Dark and Back Again was a prize in Elizabeth Ducie’s recent book launch for Deception. It is a real pleasure wrapping the book up to send out! Also good when a book launch goes really well. I know I had a lot of fun with mine.

Managed to write three new flash fiction pieces for my second book on my phone yesterday while out and about. Slowly getting used to the smartphone and really love the Evernote app. (I’m using the basic free version at the moment and have found this useful for sharing photo files as well as text ones).

Must get used to putting my phone charger in my bag as I could’ve done with charging the phone up on my way home yesterday and could easily have done so on the train. Duh!

Glad to report the children’s poetry competition presentation went well at Chandler’s Ford Library yesterday. I share the link to Mike Sedgwick’s excellent report on how things went. I am only sorry I couldn’t be there. The readings sounded fab but I was pleased to hear all who went had a wonderful time.

The competition was organized by Chandler’s Ford Authors and supported by the Hampshire Library Service and the Hiltingbury Extravaganza. Prizes were sponsored by local estate agents, Goadsby. Well done to all who took part in the competition!

Children's Poetry Competition 2017

Well done to all who took part in the competition.  Glad to hear the presentation went well.  Always good to encourage writing!

Writer at work. Image via Pixabay.

Writer at work. Image via Pixabay.

 

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Really pleased with myself I managed to use my smartphone to do some serious writing when on a long train journey yesterday. Really miffed with myself I managed to forget to pack my phone charger as I needed to recharge it on the way home and could easily have done so on the train. Two sides to the writing life there!

Finally making some headway on my second book. Am hoping to have a first draft ready in the next month or so. Then comes the editing but the joy with flash is in having such a restricted word count, you do find yourself doing a lot of this as you go. You select the words with the strongest impact for the fewest possible words as you go so no unnecessary adverbs here!

And I’ve finally realised exactly what it is about flash that has ensured I’ve become addicted to the form. I have always loved character-led fiction. Flash has to be character-led as there is no room for scene setting etc. You have to cut to the chase. And I’ve always loved getting straight into my characters’ heads to find out exactly what is going on in there!

 

writing in many forms via Pixabay

There is a planner at work here, rather than a “pantser”! Image via Pixabay.

 

Feature Image - Flash Fiction - Books are Gateway - image via Pixabay

The nice thing with this is it equally applies to non-fiction.  Image via Pixabay

 

 

GOING AWOL

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

In Going AWOL, I discuss why I’ve been off site for a while.  (The good news is life has become somewhat hectic and I’m preparing for my physical book launch for From Light to Dark and Back Again).   I ask about your characters finding the right balance between promoting material and getting on with writing new material.  I know I haven’t got the balance on that one myself!

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Back in Business looks at how your characters react to the changes to their lives the story has put them through?  How do characters, sent away on a quest, react when they have to come back home and try to resume normality? How do villages etc react to characters coming back to them (especially given all characters change)?  Can life ever be as it had been for your characters?

FACEBOOK – GENERAL

I flag up this week’s Chandler’s Ford Today post (appearing tomorrow), which will be about the art of the book review.  I also share in this post some wonderfully honest and acerbic comments from Mark Twain.  Now there was a man who could write an honest review…!

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FACEBOOK – FROM LIGHT TO DARK AND BACK AGAIN

I share Valerie Penny’s review of my book tonight.  It ties in beautifully with my CFT post as a great example of an honest review.  I met Valerie at Swanwick last year and will do so again this year!  One side benefit of writing events – you get to make friends!

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Worlds, real and imaginery, are found in books - image via Pixabay