Tag Archives: Kinghorn

April 8, 2016 · 3:54 pm

My Living Space ~Writing and Office Maybe

It’s been a while since I had my set up of a wee office down in Bedfordshire ~ six months in fact since I’ve had my old Dell main frame computer in full working order  after our move to Fife last December. I bought it to have a computer which was rarely connected to the internet for manuscript security, to be a workhorse alongside my laptop. It had a bit of a glitch which needed sorting, then a couple of wires needed to be replaced ~ lost in transit we believe.

DSCN2983[1]Here in Fife we have decided not to have an office space per se but a pleasant space for creativity, whether it be hubby playing his guitar, a quiet place to read if the television has a programme which does not suite one of us or a place for me to see where creativity takes me. The room now contains an overflow wardrobe, shelves with records (the vinyl kind) and family photographs, an unobtrusive desk but also an old futon – an insurance policy if we happen to have a house full of visitors and need another bed. (but it is also a place to relax.)

I’m glad that it is a living space rather than an office.

Today I am sitting at the desk for the first time, trying it for size, ambiance and comfort. DSCN2984[1](I’m managing without a proper chair  at the moment.) An occasional glance out of the window distracts any train of thought I might have had as I watch a large container ship glide along. Edinburgh is across the water.

I am in no hurry to write. Our priority has been to settle in at home but also within the community of Kinghorn and we are feeling truly blessed to be so welcomed. What I do need to do is to update records and send out end of tax year summaries to the authors in Eventispress, our publishing cooperative. That is a job for next week.

Apart from that I am taking a deep breath from my writing life to see what happens. I’ve been learning that new opportunities only arise if you make room for them in your life and it has been a wonderful time, albeit a tad scary, to take a step back, wait and reflect.

Being here fills me with joy but above all I feel an over riding sense of peace – wondering what will happen next. …

 

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November 27, 2015 · 11:48 am

Cross Genre, #Memoir, #Travel, #Motivational and Inspirational, #History ~ Why?

DSCN2797[1]Dear reader and writer

I posted a tweet about a week ago “Soon to be announced – launch of my Fantasy. It’s a bit of everything , .”

It may have been a coincidence but a day later there was a post on a blog I admire and subscribe to The Book Designer:

Thinking about writing on multiple genres – here’s what you need to know

Firstly – an agent and publisher does not know where to place it ~ or is to self publish best

I must admit that it has crossed my mind as to where bookshops would place my new book, and it is that market which I hope to tap into, as well as Amazon, but I reasoned that it was more a ‘gift book section’ since it is inspirational and motivational. OK – got it, but I am self publishing, or publishing through a small indie press, Eventispress, run by local authors.

Secondly writing what you are moved to write is not always the most productive for marketing purposes.

Will my current readers stay with me? Should I stick to the same genre  to be consistent and build up an audience. Yes, there is lots of sense in this but circumstances have meant that I have altered course. I will write this more fully on another blog post. Whether I am right to veer in different directions I’m not sure. I could give all sorts of arguments ~ this was a book I needed to write, I was so inspired by my surroundings that I could not help myself, I was grappling with ‘who I am’ and this just felt the right direction to go in and I’m thrilled with the result…

Thirdly I’ve not been true to my author brand.

I hold my hand up here. I’m not very good at marketing in a logical way. I know I should be more business like about writing but if I failed to enjoy what I do then I would give up. 

.Specialisation is one key to success.

I must argue that there is one theme running through all of my novels and books and that is my love of social history. If I visit a place the first thing I do is read about its past and its people. ‘Riduna’ and ‘Ancasta’ are historical romantic fiction. Norman’s memoir is of course history too – 103 years of it! Then ‘Murder Now and Then’ was inspired by an unsolved murder one hundred years ago and finally, ‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation’ is inspired by many folks through the ages who either lived in or visited Fife. In fact I ‘met’ them as I walked along the Fife Coastal Path. They were fascinating characters.

Branding is more than genre, it is style, characterisation and voice

Yes, I believe that the characters in ‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation’ are as true to my style as any of my novels ~ more so since the book is in part a personal memoir. My writing reaches from the depth of my soul in a way which I have not really experienced since writing ‘Riduna’ ~ that’s because it was written at a time of ‘soul searching’ and my encounters were as real to me as Harriet and her family in my Riduna Series, who have lived with me for about fifteen years now. It is truly my own voice.

I will finish with this wonderful quote from The Book Designer.

“But ultimately, your goal is to link your name to an organic and dynamic brand that’s based on you and arouses a positive, emotional experience for your targeted readership–regardless of genre. yes!!

By doing so, you can tie a common thread between all genres you choose to explore.”

I could not have put it better myself ~ beautifully written. I recommend reading the whole post for anyone interested in exploring different genre, or multiple genres. 

‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation ~ A Writer’s Fantasy Walk Along The Fife Coastal Path’ is now available as a paperback on Amazon.

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November 23, 2015 · 5:55 pm

CELEBRATING ON LINE BOOK LAUNCH ~ From Redundancy to Rejuvenation, A Writer’s Fantasy Walk Along The Fife Coastal Path

DSCN2797[1]I’m excited to announce the online launch of

‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation ~ A Writer’s Fantasy Walk Along The Fife Coastal Path’

The book will go live in the next few days ~ link to follow!

BACKGROUND ~ I was living in Fife, writing a diary, walking along the Coastal Path in my spare time and reading about the county’s rich history when the idea of writing this fantasy pilgrimage evolved. My situation was a strange one, having been made redundant from my teaching post down south followed by a serendipitous relocation to quite a different world.

ABOUT THE BOOK ~ It is a diary of my walk, but it is much more than that. I meet characters in history along the way with whom I share insightful time and conversation. The ‘meetings’ are my way of understanding myself and where my life might be heading but they are also enriching, endowing me with a deeper sense of who I am and how special my new surroundings and its people became to me.

A friend said when she read it, ‘Did you really meet St Margaret, Diana?’

The diary flows seamlessly from reality to fantasy through prose and poetry and I hope it shows my empathy and growing love for Fife and its people. It is my way of saying thank you for their boundless welcome and hospitality.

I would particularly like to thank Heather More for her wonderful book cover, a watercolour of Pettycur and evocative of all that lies therein!

It is only available in paperback, initially at Amazon but can be ordered from any bookshop

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