Category Archives: Writing a novel

July 14, 2014 · 8:49 am

Welcome to Historical Fiction Author ~ Tony Riches

2014Hello Tony. Thank you for appearing as a guest on my blog today. Can
you tell us a little about your latest book Warwick in no more than
twenty words?

Hi Diana – and thanks for inviting me. Subtitled The Man behind the Wars of the Roses, Warwick is about Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as the ‘Kingmaker.’

Can you remember the inspired moment which led you to write Warwick or was it partWarwick of a journey of discovery?

I was watching the BBC series The White Queen, (based on Philippa Gregory’s books) and wondered why the richest man in England would risk everything to back the young Edward IV – then change sides to support Queen Margaret of Anjou, his sworn enemy. I guessed there was more to his story than the BBC suggested – and found no one had ever tackled Warwick’s life as a novel.
Historical fiction is a tricky market and a controversial one. I should know. There will always be historians out there who know far more than we do, though we try our best to ensure authenticity in our writing. Was it your intention to write a good read or to stick as close to historical ‘facts’ as possible?

I enjoyed the research for Warwick and was amazed at what I found out about his life. It can be difficult but I feel historical fiction authors should try their best to ensure that details are checked. It’s fine to ‘fill in the gaps’ but not to ignore well-documented facts. The truth, of course, is often stranger than fiction, so this needn’t be at the expense of a good read.

I agree with you there. It has been said to me that historical fiction is a way of reaching a wider public with key moments in history and may stir an interest in the reader delving into the subject in greater depth. What do you think?

Yes, feedback from readers supports this – it would be great if more people were inspired to look into the pre-Tudor history of England.

That’s true Tony – there are many novels inspired by the Roman period in English history and the 18th and 19th century, but little in between.  On reading Warwick I have been prompted to look into this particular history of St Albans, of which I was totally unaware, even though I grew up there.

You have also written a business management book and one for authors on building a social media platform. Would you say that you are most comfortable writing fiction or non fiction? (or both of course!)

I enjoy being a multi-genre author. My management book was my first US best-seller, based on my work in project management and my previous  novel, The Shell, is set in present day Mombasa.  I’m currently working on another fifteenth century historical fiction book (about Eleanor Cobham) and am planning a trilogy to follow on from Warwick.

Those sound exciting projects for us to look forward to.

Finally, since you are experienced in book marketing, what is the one most important piece of advice you would give an author when launching a novel in order to reach a wider public?

Plan ahead. Set aside time in advance to work with book bloggers and reviewers. I support book launches on my writing blog and am sometimes surprised that authors don’t even have the basic information ready, so you can make life much easier for yourself by having all the links, images, blurb and your bio to hand before the big day.

Is there anything else you would like to add ~ an anecdote maybe?

In an audacious bit of ‘forward planning’ I set up a Twitter account for @EleanorCobham  on the same day I drafted the first chapter of my WiP. Since then she has gained 1,800 followers – and from the comments I wonder how many think she is a real person…

Wow – that’s something to think about. I wonder if it would work with an imaginary character too?

Well Tony, many thanks again for taking the time to appear on my blog and I wish you well. Do let us know when your next project comes to fruition.

###

Tony Riches is a full time writer and lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, one of the most unspoilt areas of the UK. His first novel, Queen Sacrifice was written after looking into the early history of Wales and seeing the parallels to a game of chess, with kings and queens, bishops and castles – and the people becoming pawns in their civil wars. When not writing Tony enjoys sea and river kayaking. He also enjoys hiking and plans to complete the full 186 miles of the Pembrokeshire Coast path which passes fifty-eight beautiful beaches and fourteen harbours. You can find him on Twitter @tonyriches and his new Facebook Author Page

Links: 

Books: http://tonyrichesauthor.wordpress.com/

Blog, The Writing Desk http://tonyriches.blogspot.co.uk/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5604088.Tony_Riches

Warwick Video Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6y5FcLgpRg

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Book reading, Book reviews, Events, Marketing your novel, Reading a novel, Research, Social Media Networking, Writing, Writing a novel

Tagged as , , , ,

November 28, 2013 · 7:45 pm

Who am I? ~ My Personal Journey into Writing ~ The Next Phase

In the last couple of weeks I feel I’ve been nudged towards the next phase in my personal journey as a writer..

1.Admitting that’s what I am…. ‘a writer and author.’

“A person is defined less by who they are than what they do.”

I have been teaching for nearly 30 years and being a teacher defined who I was. As my writing became increasingly important, it began to take over my life, so much so that I made the decision to work part time for several years to attempt to keep a home~work~writing life balance. Being offered redundancy from teaching was that gift to nudge me towards my new path my life. 

2. Running a publishing company ~ the next stage ~ a cooperative

When I entered the world of publishing I did not realise I had so much to learn but it has been a wonderful experience and I feel proud of all I’ve achieved.  Recently though, I have been nudged to think with a more business like hat. I no longer have a regular income to fall back on, so I’ve had to begin to make some tough decisions. What is the most cost effective way of publishing but still have quality? How can I cut distribution costs? If I arrange this event will I be able to cover costs, diesel for example?

I’ve also been approached by a couple of people for some support and guidance which is prompting me to think through my strategies for making a cooperative work. This needs serious consideration. Am I ready for this next step?

3.  Am I self publishing to be discovered? 

Many authors self publish to be noticed by main stream publishers. To forgive a cliche here ‘I’ll cross that bridge when……’ Anyway, at the moment I see self publishing as a way of being empowered to write and publish novels to reach the greatest possible audience but now I also see myself empowering other along the way.

My aim will always be to produce the best novel I can at any given moment, in the most professional manner; One that could stand happily on a bookshelf alongside a mainstream novel.

4. My personal retreat from the world as I knew it ~ The gift of space and time to make it work

I’ve not only been nudged I’ve been truly blessed, in fact my journey has taken on a surreal quality which I’m so excited about and will share with you in a few months time. Cryptic I know but I have my reasons.

Fortunately this change coincided with leaving my teaching post and so has helped enormously with the withdrawal symptoms I knew I’d feel back in September at the time I would have been returning to work. You see, I not only had to redefine myself as a person but to let go of who I was. If you have a friend, spouse or parent who is a teacher (doctor …nurse…) You will understand what I mean. No more preparation, endless paperwork, marking, thinking about a multitude of other lives, sleepless nights trying to resolve issues…working out how I could make a difference to a life, a future. This change could have been traumatic except for the fact that I’ve retreated from the world as I knew it. Life has become an adventure…one I’m excited about but one that has given me the space to pursue my dreams.

 

4 Comments

Filed under Events, Writing, Writing a novel

Tagged as , , , , , ,

June 6, 2013 · 5:33 pm

Being Compared to a Best Seller ~ A Double Edged Sword

In the last few months I’ve joined The Sarnia literacy Society on Facebook and have enjoyed talking about such books as Ebenezer le Page, a delightful story written like memoirs of an elderly gentleman and his life on Guernsey. Apart from getting lost occasionally in a plethora of friends and relations, I found the book truly delightful and an insight into what life on Guernsey was really like in the last century. I laughed and cried and I oood and ahhed alongside old ELP and I certainly missed him when I’d finally finished the book.

In the last couple of days, though, I had an ‘ouch’ moment when I turned to the site and read the comments on ‘The Guernsey Lteracy and Potato Pie Society.’ Wow! Isn’t this book still stirring emotions and on this Facebook page I read only negative opinions. The contrast between these and the gushing comments to dear old E le P were stark and I respect every point I read.

What are my feelings about the book though? I agree that it was badly researched; the people were not true Guernsey; names were incorrectly spelt and places unrecognisable. In fact, they were rarely described in detail, not surprisingly since the author had barely visited the island but did her research remotely.

To her defence here, she was obviously so moved by the island that she began her research. Sometimes it happens like that to an author. An idea takes you and you just have to write.

On the other hand the novel has sold millions worldwide. Why? It was witty and gritty; it used well-known facts about life on Guernsey during World War Two and embellished them into a storyline which was easy to read and many of the characters warm and likeable; it was a great holiday read; there’s still a lot of interest in reading about the war…..I could go on. Or was it just luck, an incredible marketing campaign or the amusing, memorable title that did it? We shall never know.

And now here’s the rub! The Historical Novel Society when reviewing my first novel Riduna compared it favourably to this very book saying that anyone who enjoyed The GLPPS would love Riduna too! I was proud of being compared to this best seller. I decided to put the quote on the blurb for ‘Riduna’ when I asked for the rights back from the original publisher and relaunched Riduna last year alongside my second novel Ancasta Guide me Swiftly Home. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Here’s where I am going to hold my hand up and be honest and constructive in my comparisons.

Firstly I wasn’t born on either island but my reasons for writing both novels did initially stem from my interest in my family history. My great-grandmother was born and lived on Alderney until the age of 15 when she was shipped to Guernsey. She later married my great- grandfather a Guernseyman. The more I researched about life on the islands in Victorian times, the more the shape of a novel unfolded before me. I found that my love of the islands as a child, rekindled on visiting several times as an adult, enhanced the more I read into the history. It was tantalising though in the details of social history left out of the history books and guide books and so I too was guilty of fabricating what I did not know. The characters seemed to live, work and develop though, in my head. I felt I had little control over them. I made mistakes too! A couple I felt very embarrassed about and wondered how I’d missed them once the novel was in print.

Researching for Ancasta has been very different. Instead of pouring over books and filling in the gaps with my imagination, I did that too, but I also approached experts who were so enthusiastic about their individual subjects that they checked relevant chapters for me and gave me valuable feedback. The reaching out to people, both on the islands and here on the mainland was a wonderful experience I will treasure and learn from.

Thus, when I relaunched Riduna I was able to make amends, reread it with new insight and polish it up a bit…after all, even with the help of the editorial services of my initial publisher it was still my first novel.

So, if you are an islander and happen to read Riduna or Ancasta, or a reader from anywhere in the world, I really don’t mind you being critical, as long as you do it kindly:-)

Any feedback gratefully received

diana@dianamaryjackson.co.uk

2 Comments

Filed under Ancasta, Book reviews, Research, Riduna, Writing a novel

Tagged as , , , ,