Time of year for best books of the year

This is something different.

Fourteen books in 2014 I have not noticed before ...

Looking back to 2013 another fourteen I also have not noticed before ...

Then looking back to 2010 another ten books I have not noticed before.

I suppose with all the millions of books published this should not be a surprise.

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/12/22/best-books-2014/

My thanks to Maria Popova

Douglas

Russell Blake - Predictions for 2015

http://russellblake.com/2015-predictions/

Worth a read - thanks Russell.

All the very best to you for Christmas and your many words of writing and reading in 2015.

Douglas

New Landscape

Another topical post from Russell Blake and a depressing read for self publishers in 2015. Traditional published authors as well if their royalties are cut.

http://russellblake.com/the-new-landscape/

My writing and reading for pleasure makes more sense as days go by.

Thanks Russell

Douglas

How to Write Better: 3 Secrets of Transmitting Naked Emotions

A little page turner. Have a good read.




Douglas

http://writetodone.com/how-to-write-better-2/

Thanks Mary

Poison Bay

Belinda Pollard has published her first book.

Interesting as she is a book editor. Belinda consulted her blog readers on cover design and made changes to her cover as a result as shown below.

Drumroll please! My debut novel, Poison Bay, is finally PUBLISHED.

15 years since the idea first festered, two years since I “completed” the manuscript (the first time round), and in the wake of three months of late nights, intense pressure and high anxiety, I have finally launched my book-baby into the world.

It’s exciting, and terrifying, and a lot of other things.

This blog post will probably have more typos than usual, as I’m a complete wreck. (Feel free to correct them for me in the comments.)

 

Read on in ....

 

http://www.smallbluedog.com/2-enduring-low-cost-book-marketing-tactics.html



Douglas

Next Meeting 5 January 2015

Eats and drinks and reading of Christmas Competition entries.

,
December meeting members heard about a grisly bears, the customer always being right and the trials and dreams of an overweight web user. The possible production of an anthology was again discussed. 

Stent - An Unhealthy Story-book

Preface to Stent (First draft)

 

After a restless noisy night of patients struggling for breath, coughing, snoring and nocturnal perambulations her smiles and cheerful words early on the first morning were a better medicine than many.  

“Good morning how are you today?” The ward sister, in old fashioned terminology, says to each patient. 

“Lousy, a sleepless night as hospitals do not change.” I respond. She laughs and says.

“By the time you leave here you will be able to write a book!” 

A seed is sown. Cover drafted and first few pages written.

 

Little did sister know I am a writer ... or did she!

 

Douglas

 

Foreign Love

If you’re expecting tips on dating in other countries, or an excerpt from my next one, Forced By The Latin Alpha Billionaire, hate to disappoint you. This blog’s about tamer fodder, although the topic is near and dear to my heart: money.

It’s been a great year for foreign rights sales, largely due to the diligence of my agent in pursuing those markets, as well as increasing international interest in my books.

 

Read on ...  http://russellblake.com/    Posted: 02 Dec 2014 04:59 AM PST

 

Thanks Russell

 

 

Almost three and a half years - Russell Blake

An interesting new post. Thanks Russell

http://russellblake.com/almost-three-and-a-half-years/

Day in the life of a Literary Consultant and Self Editing

http://cornerstones.co.uk/news/

Thanks Helen - Douglas

Cornerstones Director Helen Bryant tells us what a ‘typical’ day is like as a Literary Consultant. 

6 a.m. Wake up with a relaxing cup of tea in bed, listen to Radio 4 before the kids wake up. 7.15 a.m. Mad dash as the rest of the family get ready for school; feed dogs and cats ... and read more in link.

Self editing

1. Know that it’s worth it. Self-editing is one of the best things you can do for your writing.
2. Take your time. It’s often the time you spend away from a manuscript – rather than the long hours you spend in its company! – that make the most difference.
3. Know your story. Not necessarily the same as knowing the manuscript you’ve written. What is the story that you really wanted to tell?
4. Plan your structure. There are many methods of doing this but most of them are saying roughly the same thing. A story needs an internal structure to give it shape and momentum.
5. Question your characters. Do you know them inside out? Does each one have a distinct role and personality/voice? Does your hero have a goal? Does he/she change and develop over the course of the book?
6. Be ruthless about your style. Have you only included a description because it sounded lovely, or used too many words to describe something simple? Is your style getting in the way of your story?
7. Ask for feedback. No matter how objective you become, there’s nothing quite like getting an outside opinion to help you see your story anew.
8. Don’t panic! Getting feedback and embarking on another redraft can be daunting. But all authors have to do it. Approaching it with dedication and determination marks you out as a professional.
9. Get the basics right. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are important. You have no excuse for getting these wrong.
10. Take pride in your work. Present it professionally.
11. Proofread carefully.

If you’ve done all of the above then you can be proud of what you’ve produced. You’ve put love and care into your book, and readers should love it too.

  

Three things all novelists need (according to Haruki Murakami)

by CHRIS ROBLEY on NOVEMBER 6, 2014 in WRITING TIPS Thanks Chris - Douglas
 
   

 

 (Photo by Rick Pushinsky for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH)
 

The celebrated and prolific novelist Haruki Murakami also happens to be an ultra-marathon runner, and in his collection of essays What I Talk About When I Talk About Running he talks about… well, running (and writing, of course).

So what three qualities, according to Murakami, do all good novelists share?

1. Talent

Murakami frames talent as an attribute that can’t be taught or bought. For the writer, talent is “more of a prerequisite than a necessary quality […] No matter how much enthusiasm and effort you put into writing, if you totally lack literary talent you can forget about being a novelist.” One feels this should go without saying, but for whatever reason, it seems that more people entertain the idea of becoming a writer longer in life than that of becoming, say, a musician or a painter. Maybe this is why Murakami then makes an analogy to music as a pursuit in which, ideally, natural aptitude is indispensable. But in mentioning two of his favourite composers, Schubert and Mozart, Murakami makes the point that these are examples of artists “whose genius went out in a blaze of glory.” He is quick to point out that “for the vast majority of us this isn’t the model we follow.” The novelist as runner, we might say, should train for a career running marathons. The web resource OpenCulture.com gives a nice summary of the author’s thoughts: 

2. Focus

With 27 marathons and more than a dozen novels behind him, Murakami has clearly demonstrated focus. Focus, according to the author, is “the ability to concentrate all your limited talents on whatever’s critical at the moment. Without that you can’t accomplish anything of value.”

So how does Murakami focus on his writing? Simple: he makes a habit of concentrating on his work for three or fours hours each morning. “I sit at my desk and focus totally on what I’m writing. I don’t see anything else, I don’t think about anything else.”

3. Endurance

As OpenCulture.com says, if you consider yourself more of a sprinter then maybe you should stick to short stories. You need endurance to finish a novel. Murakami says, “if you concentrate on writing three or four hours a day and feel tired after a week of this, you’re not going to be able to write a long work. What’s needed of the writer of fiction—at least one who hopes to write a novel—is the energy to focus every day for half a year, or a year, or two years. Fortunately, these two disciplines—focus and endurance—are different from talent, since they can be acquired and sharpened through training.”

In other words, sit down and do it every day regardless of the quality of your daily work. Eventually your writing muscles will get into tip-top shape.

Five Questions Authors Must Answer

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Bobbi Linkemer - Thanks Bobbi - Douglas

 

 

Too  many first-time authors are struck by what they consider to be a brilliant idea and immediately start writing. Perhaps you are one of them and have succumbed to the lure of inspiration. There’s nothing wrong with inspiration. It’s a great feeling, but it is not enough to sustain you through the whole process of writing a book. So, before you get swept away, here are 5 questions new authors must answer to be sure your book idea is viable:

1.  Why am I writing this book?
Why is it important to me? What do I hope it will achieve? This is your book’s mission, its purpose. This question is not about you; it is about your reader. Most new authors are not used to thinking in terms of benefits to the reader, but you must be clear on what that benefit will be: to educate, motivate, entertain, teach a skill, inspire, tell a story, guide, or something else?

2.  What is my book about (in one or two sentences)?
It is amazing how difficult that question is to answer. Picture this scenario: you run into someone at an event. He says, “I hear you’re writing a book. That’s great. What’s it about?” Your answer can’t be any longer than a subtitle (e.g., It’s about growing up in the South and coming to terms with desegregation. or how to survive your kids’ adolescence, or making sense of the wacky world of social networking). What you’re looking for is the essence of your book—the point. Don’t start writing until you can explain it in one sentence.

3.  How am I uniquely qualified to write this book?
Can I demonstrate my knowledge, experience, and expertise in relation to my subject? The key here is “in relation to my subject.” you do not want your life story; you just want to show what background, education, professional experience, or special knowledge qualifies you to write convincingly about this particular topic. If your degree is an electrical engineering, but you are writing about how to live with bipolar disorder, your education isn’t relevant to your topic. If this is a memoir, your own experience is relevant. If you can team up with an expert or have that person write your foreword or a testimonial, that will increase your credibility.

4.  Who is my ideal reader?
Can I describe her? What do I know about her? Where is she likely to buy my book? The answer to the question, “Who will want to read my book?” is not everyone. For one thing, it’s a rare book that will appeal to everyone. For another, every book has to have a category, which is where it would be placed in a bookstore or how it would be listed on an eBook reader. There are many demographic questions about your ideal reader—her age, educational background, socio-economic position, marital status, interests and hobbies, and so on. Those are important but not as important as being able to see this person in your mind’s eye and writing directly to her.

5.  What else is out there on this subject?
How is my book unique, special, important? What do existing books on the subject cover or not cover? Don’t be concerned if you find that your topic is not unique. Someone, somewhere, has probably written about it. That’s fine. What matters is how you ap­proach it, calling upon your own stories, research, experience, knowledge, and creativity. Be specific about the competition, but also be open- minded and fair. This is not the place for criticism, only for comparison of other books with yours. List major competitive titles and a very brief description of each. Then, describe how they differ from your book and why yours does a better job.

Synaesthesia Examples from Calvin

Janet employed her fake-fur voice, which stroked into his ear, warm and persuasive. — touch describing sound

The scarlet blare of trumpets filled the hall. — sight describing sound

Her cold made the food taste grey and spongy. — sight and touch describing taste

Her touch shrieked through his body. — sound describing touch

 His voice was a ragged duelling scar in his ear. — sight describing sound

 

Thanks Calvin

 

Douglas

Last and next Meetings

The Inkplotters held their November meeting last week. Members present heard and discussed a reading by Chris of  her Christmas competition entry, a prologue of a new book by Calvin plus an explanation and examples of synaesthesia and two poems read by Sian, a new member.

The next meeting is on Wednesday 3 December at 19.00. Topic - Write a piece of characterisation that indicates the appearance of a character without actually describing his/her features.

 

Douglas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proof reading - that pesky matter

This post is worth a read. Thanks Belinda

http://www.smallbluedog.com/proofreading-our-own-work-overcoming-autocorrect.html

The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham

I did a beta read of this book. - Douglas

 

England 1441:  

 

Lady Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, hopes to become Queen of England before her interest in astrology and her husband’s ambition leads their enemies to accuse her of a plot against the king. Eleanor is found guilty of sorcery and witchcraft. Rather than have her executed, King Henry VI orders Eleanor to be imprisoned for life.

More than a century after her death, carpenters restoring one of the towers of Beaumaris Castle discover a sealed box hidden under the wooden boards. Thinking they have found treasure, they break the ancient box open, disappointed to find it only contains a book, with hand-sewn pages of yellowed parchment.

Written in a code no one could understand, the mysterious book changed hands many times for more than five centuries, between antiquarian book collectors, until it came to me. After years of frustrating failure to break the code, I discover it is based on a long forgotten medieval dialect and am at last able to decipher the secret diary of Eleanor Cobham.

 

Available Now in eBook on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Paperback coming soon!

I am not a cobbler

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/11/i-am-not-a-cobbler.html

I am not a cobbler

... but that doesn't mean I'm unable to choose well made and comfortable shoes.

You might not be a writer, but that doesn't mean you can't read.

You might not be a chef, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your dinner.

You might not be a scientist, but that doesn't mean you're unable to understand the scientific method and accept a well-discussed thesis.

You might not be a programmer, but that doesn't mean you can't use Excel or the internet.

You might not be the boss, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't care about what happens next.

And you might not be a political scientist, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't vote.

Vote tomorrow. Even if it's for a person who is sure to lose (especially if it's for a person who is sure to lose). If non-voters started voting for outliers who live their morals, our democracy would change completely in less than a decade.

Posted by Seth Godin on November 03, 2014

 

Hoi Polloi - use and meaning

From Daily Writing Tips. Thanks to them http://www.dailywritingtips.com/hoi-polloi/ Interesting Douglas Hoi Polloi Posted: 01 Nov 2014 09:10 PM PDT A reader has asked me to write about the word hoi polloi: I get so tired of intelligent people using this to mean the exact opposite. Hoi polloi is an English word that derives from a Greek phrase meaning “the many” or “the majority [of citizens].” Its English meaning is “the masses” or “the general public.” It’s often used in the pejorative sense of “the vulgar, unthinking masses.” The error the reader has in mind is the spreading tendency of many speakers (including intelligent ones) to use hoi polloi as if it means, “the social elite” or “influential rich people.” For example, So it’s official: Hollywood’s hoi polloi (e.g. Miramax movie mogul Harvey Weinstein) are coming out against firearms ownership and swearing off movies that rely heavily on gunplay. As Harvey Weinstein has a net worth of $200 million, the writer apparently believes that hoi polloi means “influential rich people..” In ancient Greek, hoi polloi meant “the many.” Its complementary term was hoi oligoi, “the few.” The term reflected a fact of social and political division. From the Greek word oligoi, we get the English word oligarchy, “government by a small group of people.” Classical scholar John Dryden introduced the expression into English in 1668. For him, the hoi polloi were people who lacked literary discernment. The expression quickly became a useful way for speakers to distinguish “Us” from “Them.” Because “Us” is always more educated and informed than “Them,” hoi polloi came to mean “the uneducated majority” or “the great unwashed, vulgar, unthinking public.” Nowadays, although political power still belongs to the hoi oligoi, the hoi polloi are better educated than they were in Dryden’s time, and they don’t like being called hoi polloi. They also possess a power that earlier generations lacked: the power to redefine words. One factor contributing to the association of hoi polloi with “snooty rich people” could be the similarity with “hoity toity,” an expression that conveys contempt for someone seen as “putting on airs.” The two expressions are often juxtaposed for humorous effect, as in the title of the Roseanne episode called “Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti” (Roseanne, Season 9, Episode 8). In this episode, Roseanne and her family visit “uppity-high-society people” on Martha’s Vineyard. Although wealthier and more refined in manners and speech than the Conners, the wealthy Wentworths are clearly their moral inferiors. Note: Roseanne is a television comedy series featuring a working class family, the Conners, who are portrayed as being vulgar in speech and manners, but morally superior to better-educated, more affluent characters they encounter. Another factor contributing to the shift in meaning of hoi polloi may be that the referent is not always clear from context. For example, in a Three Stooges episode called “Hoi Polloi,” a well-dressed man bets a colleague that he can take a man from “the lowest strata of society” and turn him into a gentleman. He experiments with the Stooges. He fails to civilize them, but the fancy people descend to the Stooges’ brutish behavior. At episode end, Moe looks disdainfully at the crowd of elegantly dressed men and women who are slapping, punching, and gouging one another and says, “This is our punishment for associating with the hoi polloi.” New meanings of hoi polloi include, “people who are not like us,” “people we don’t like,” and simply, “people who don’t know what we know.” For example, in a forum for equestrians, a member referred to people who are ignorant of the rules of dressage as “the hoi polloi.” The definition of hoi polloi in The Urban Dictionary indicates the aversion in which this word is held: hoi polloi: A stupid term used by pseudo intellectuals with unjustified superiority complexes. Many bloggers ridicule speakers who precede hoi polloi with the definite article: Clearly Lois is using words though ignorant of their meaning.. “Hoi” is the definite article, meaning “the”. When the uneducated Lois says “the hoi polloi” she is saying “the the many”. She makes a fool of herself on many levels. Dryden knew that “hoi” means “the” in Greek. He even wrote the expression in Greek letters, confident that his target audience could read it. However, because he was using the word in an English sentence, he introduced it with the English definite article: “If by the people you understand the multitude, the οἱ πολλοὶ.” Suggesting that English speakers who say “the hoi polloi” are “ignorant” may bathe critics in feelings of superiority, but the criticism is itself a sign of absurd pedantry and, dare I say, ignorance of how language works. Many English words incorporate a foreign element that means the without raising questions of tautology. For example, the al in algebra, alchemist, and Alcatraz “mean” the in Arabic. No one suggests that writing “the alchemist” is the same thing as writing “the the chemist.” As far as I know, no one ridicules people who refer to the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles for “really” saying “the the tar tar pits.” (La and Brea are Spanish for the and tar.) Hoi polloi is an English word in transition. English speakers will determine whether the word retains the meaning of “the masses,” morphs into a term for “snooty rich people,” or falls to the wayside along with other words that usage has voted out as being culturally offensive.

The Tainted Crown, by Meg Cowley

Special Guest Post‏ ~ The Tainted Crown, by Meg Cowley

 

From Tony Riches Writers Desk web site. I thought the answers to the publishing questions interesting. Thanks Tony and Meg.

 

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 12:12 AM PDT

Soren’s mother, the Queen, is dead. Her younger brother Zaki has framed Soren for the brutal murder to claim the legendary throne of the Dragon Kings for himself, but Zaki’s position is vulnerable. Before the fragile peace inevitably shatters, can Prince Soren reclaim the throne - and should he? 

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Thanks very much for asking me to talk about my debut novel, The Tainted Crown: The First Book of Caledan, a young adult fantasy that fans of The Inheritance Saga (Christopher Paolini) or the Pellinor series (Alison Croggon) would enjoy.

What is the book about?

This isn't an "off we go on an adventure" story, but a tale of personal growth for all the characters. They face some incredibly difficult challenges, and the book shows how they deal with that and who they become as these events affect them.

For example, the death of Soren's mother and disappearance of his sister are combined with the loss of his home and everything he has known.  It was very hard to write his part in this book, as I wanted his emotional journey to be authentic. His struggle is key to the lives of his subjects - his choices shape them and he is very aware of this, so that also proves an extra burden on his shoulders.

Eve, the other main viewpoint, has to reconcile with who she discovers herself to be - a person very different from those around her. She has to learn to accept that, to understand it, and to be able to embrace what her life must and will become.

Where did The Tainted Crown come from?

I started writing this back in January 2011, though the idea was several years old. It wasn't until I went to see one of my favourite authors, Christopher Paolini, at a rare UK event that I became inspired to write it down in its entirety. Until then, I'd never really believed in myself or thought it to be possible.

Three years later and here I sit, with a fully formed book in my hands. It's an amazing feeling and a testament to the fact that really, truly anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Along the way, I've learned so much about writing and publishing - it's been a steep but joyful learning curve and I've loved every second of it. It's an addictive process too; I can't wait to publish my next book, the second in the series, which is a third of the way through it's first draft.

Why do you write?

Writing is a wonderful process, from the creation of ideas, to editing and honing that final draft. There isn't a part that I don't enjoy! Over and above that, however, is the compulsion. I write, because I can't not. I have an idea in my head that consumes me to the point I have to see it to fruition.

I live very much in the real world but there's always a part of my mind, whether I'm asleep or awake, that resides in Caledan with my characters, or in another world I'm creating that hasn't made it to paper yet. So partly, it's about seeing my ideas through - the good ones that I can't put down, that I hope others will also enjoy too.

Another part, which many authors also say, is about writing the books that you want to read. There are many wonderful authors in the world both living and not, who have shared great works with us. But for me, there's always other stories I want to read too, that I haven't come across - so instead, I write them. There's an infinite possible combinations of words to form stories - so there's always room for more books in the world!

Where do your ideas start?

Mostly with a character. Soren has been forming in my head since as far back as 2007, though he's had several incarnations before he reached the name, form, life and personality he has in the Caledan books. He's come a long way.

My writing is very character focused - on their lives, feelings, personal growth - as they call to me most strongly. Often, they march into my brain fully formed and forcibly take over a space, refusing to leave until I write about them. There's already a naive dwarf and a drama-queen dragon camping out there, having joined the queue for "future novels I need to write"!

Then, the stories form themselves. Often, I only have to sit back and watch or listen to the characters - they usually tell me what's happening! I feel it's really important to be true to your characters - not necessarily to act in their best interests (which reminds me of the chapter of The Hobbit titled "out of the frying pan and into the fire", as giving characters impossible seeming challenges makes for great writing!) - but write in a way that is authentic to who they are and their interactions with the world/those around them.

What makes you qualified to write?

Do you need a qualification to write? I strongly believe that you need nothing more than a wild imagination and a passionate desire and determination to do so. I am lucky to have parents who spoiled me with books growing up, which fuelled my imagination. I've loved to write since I was a little girl and that's helped to hone my skills. Good planning and editing are also vital!

It's important to remember that we should always be learning and improving our craft - never to be complacent and always strive to do better. But, no one needs a fancy qualification, or a writing degree to be a writer, just a love of writing and desire to improve their craft.

What are the challenges of writing a novel?

Being able to see it through from start to finish. It's such a large project - The Tainted Crown is 104,000 words and its sequel about the same - that you need to be absolutely committed to your project and for a sustained period of time.

For me, that process is having the idea in my head, translating that to a rough outline with a timeline that I then flesh out with detailed notes (for example, book 2 plot notes are 30,000 words!). Only then can I write the first draft. Then the second, maybe a third, then I'll start the finer rounds of edits. I think The Tainted Crown had about 6 rounds of edits? Something like that!

To write The Tainted Crown, it took about 2 years. To edit and publish, 1 year. I'm sure it will become faster with practice, but it is a big time commitment. Only sink your heart and soul into a project if it really is worth that time and effort to you.

Why indie publishing?

I'm a firm fan of independent publishing (also known as self publishing) and being an independent author, after heavy research into the publishing industry as it currently stands. Of course, each writer is and should be able to choose their own path, but for me, being independent is perfect. I originally assumed that the only way to become published was to query agents/publishing houses with a manuscript, but when I researched into the shocking contract terms, poor returns and shoddy end products for some authors taking such a route, and the alternatives available, I was determined to do it better by myself.

I like to have control over my own project from start to finish, and indie publishing allowed me to do this. It's a very empowering thing, knowing that every detail is something you've done yourself! For example, I lovingly formatted every single print page of my book and designed the cover, spending hours hand painting the image (which I would not advise you to do without the necessary skills and understanding of cover design - as I have worked in illustration for many years, I was confident to undertake this myself. Otherwise, I would have hired this process out).

I've used my own preferred editing, proofing and beta-reading services - as an indie author you can hire the same contractors as publishing houses do, to produce quality books (I definitely don't advocate publishing shoddy work just because you can!). I retain full control of all my rights - so that if I want to expand into other languages, worldwide territories, retailers and formats such as audio books, I can do so with no repercussions. The cherry on top of the cake is that I also get to reap the rewards for this - the sales of my book directly offset the costs of publishing that I've invested into the project.

Although it's a labour of love at the moment, it's a fantastic platform to build upon - essentially my own business - that I can grow over the many years to come in my writing career. If you're a writer looking to publish, I cannot recommend researching indie publishing highly enough.

Meg Cowley

# # #

About the Author

Meg Cowley lives in Yorkshire, England with her partner and two cats. Meg is a trainee primary school teacher and previously worked in accountancy after leaving school. In addition to writing, she enjoys drawing and has completed both a variety of private commissions and her own design projects over the past decade, mainly digital fantasy/semi-realism paintings. In her spare time, when not writing, reading, drawing or fulfilling other duties, she enjoys recurve archery, hiking and cooking. Find out more about Meg at www.megcowley.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @Meg_Cowley and Facebook. To stay in touch, sign up to her newsletter.

Short Stories as a Path to Literary Success

As all my writing is founded on scenes and short stories I jerked into life when I saw a reference to this post.

Click here for short stories blog

Thanks to Gary Smailes at Bubblecow for this reference and to Ploughshares.

Douglas

Economist Essay about book publishing

Peter noticed this ... worth a read.

Click here for Essay

Douglas

Point of View

At the last Inkplotters meeting there was a discussion about publishing and the likely views of editor's about 'point of view'. I made a comment on the Aliventures blog in September 2013. Coincidently this blog came up on my e mail this week as someone else had made a comment this month 14 months later.  

http://www.aliventures.com/choosing-viewpoint-fiction/

Worth a read.

Douglas

Last and next meetings.

At the October Inkplotters’ meeting Pam Kelt was welcomed. She has just published a new fantasy book ‘True Haven’ for young adults. On the topic ‘an argument about nothing’ contributions were read out and commented on - Norman who did not speak on Tuesdays, reading of a will and a domestic misunderstanding. Calvin read out an early chapter of a follow up book to 'Turning Point' published in August. The next meeting is on 12 November at 19.00 Topic – Synaesthesia eg The scarlet blare of trumpets gushed from the bandstand.

 

Douglas

Pam Kelt's new book True Haven

True Haven ...

… is a period fantasy adventure story for a Young Adult readership. It's set in a Regency-style world where a lively young seamstress escapes from a grim workhouse in the beautiful but deadly city of True Haven.

Meet Claramina Dart, a young seamstress. She thinks of herself as a tailor's apprentice, however.

Independent, smart, questioning ... she adapts quickly to circumstances and uses her wits to survive.

She lives in Mudwells. Overcrowded, foul-smelling, corrupt. But it's home. 

‘Mina' has to take care of a young assistant, Barley Spindle. But then he is unfairly arrested and she steps in to save him.

Mistake.

They are both thrown into a workhouse far away in the city of True Haven. But Barley is ill and she realises they must both escape, for the city is not what it seems.

Elegant on the outside, True Haven is run by cruel Childmongers while the youngsters do the hard labour. Worse, there are rumours that it is infested by mysterious giant creatures that prey on the children.

After a close shave, they are rescued by Otto Karussel, a clockmaker, and discover the scale of their plight.

Despite their efforts to escape, they are swept up in even more dastardly plots and counter-plots between Mudwells and a rival city state as the ruthless Custodians of Mudwells use True Haven and Otto’s devices in a deadly struggle for power.

Nothing is quite what it seems, especially True Haven itself.

Intrigued?

Read on. 

See http://truehaven-pk.blogspot.co.uk/

You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4SaOu6_SGw

That which does not kill ...

If you are siting comfortably in your warm home ... spare a thought for Russell whose gritty articles I have passed on in earlier posts.


http://russellblake.com/that-which-does-not-kill/#comment-18607

There are also some pictures of the wrecked town from searches on the web under his home town name or Hurricane Odile Cabo eg -

Hurricane odile pictures



Douglas