Spinning Pearls is happy to host a stop on your blog tour. Just leave a comment to ask for a spot. Best suited to children's books, mainstream fiction and popular non fiction.
Please note; Read and Reviewed blog is open to guest reviewers. However, we do not generally review unsolicited books.
Writing for Children Virtual Course is open only to paid-up course members ($50.00 gets you in)
Affordable Manuscript Assessments is the blog for how-to writing advice and information from the Affordable Manuscript Assessments and Workshops site and service.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Karen Tyrrell Talks Writing and Editing her Memoir
The prize draw will be held at mid-day Monday 21st
EST (Australia) 21/05/2012
Today I welcome Karen Tyrrell who is answering some curious questions about writing and editing her memoir Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness..
My husband helped me to
remember those traumatic memories which I had suppressed. With his hot-poker reminders and fish oil
supplements, my memory eventually returned.
I wrote about the most
traumatic events in my life, first as flashbacks. When I was emotionally ready
I was able to disclose those events in detail. Beta readers, The Society of Editors and
editors like you, Sally offered advice and perspective when I was “too close”
to my memoir.
I wrote my memoir over six
years, perhaps with a hundred drafts. I changed the order of chapters and
events several times. The earliest draft was a chronological biography, and
then my husband suggested I start at a pivotal point when the police thumped at
my motel door, demanding me to open up.
Follow the Tour!
Today I welcome Karen Tyrrell who is answering some curious questions about writing and editing her memoir Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness..
Writing & Editing Process ME & HER: A Memoir of Madness
1.
How did you go about reconstructing
the scenes that took place during one of your later memory blanks?
2.
Did you find it difficult to distance
yourself from the material during the editing process?
3.
How much, if at all, did you change
the order or impact of events to make the story work AS a story?
4.
How did you know when it was time to
write a mental “finished!” on the Ms and go for publication?
I
thought ME & HER was finished several times. After I received feedback from
a publisher I would rewrite again and submit. I did this several times. Then, I added a present day epilogue and a short introduction to each chapter
from the ME, recovered perspective. Finally I sought a professional assessment,
editing and a final proof read.
Writing
my own personal journey into and out of mental illness was one of the most
difficult things to write about. I wanted the reader to understand the two
points of view, the normal ME and the manic HER.
ANNOUNCING … ME & HER eBook
ME
& HER: a Memoir of Madness launches this week on Amazon as an eBook. To find out more about Karen
Tyrrell and where to purchase ME & HER please check out her website,
http://www.karentyrrell.com .Click on BUY BOOK to purchase an eBook!
eBOOK GIVEAWAYS!
Please comment here or ask Karen a question, to be
in the draw for a FREE eBook. Two copies to be won!
ME
& HER Blog Tour 14th - 20th May
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
A Trip to Fairy Land
This is a story written by a girl named Pat Bonney when she was ten years old. It was published in the newspaper in 1937 and I have just read it for the first time. Why would I be interested in a story three quarters of a century old? Pat was my mum! The accompanying picture shows her as a small child.
"BOTHER homework," sighed Jill as she rubbed her eyes. In a moment she was flying through the air on the back of a green and gold rosella parrot which seemed to be in rather a bad mood, because when Jill asked where they were going, he only grunted.
At last he condescended to mutter, "The Queen of Wattles sent me to bring you to Fairyland for her birth day party."
Soon they came to a beautiful wattle tree, where the parrot dropped his wings and they floated to earth to a most beautiful gully, with a rippling stream flowing through.
Jill felt a little shy, but she bowed to the Queen, who was clothed in gold, and surrounded by wattle fairies.
Suddenly there was a disturbance on the little stream, which proved to be the platypus arriving with the water lily fairies. No sooner had they arriv ed than the kangaroo came bounding along laden with the orchid fairies. There were sun orchids, green hoods, brown beaks, gnats, rabbit ears and butterfly and spider orchids, also many others that Jill did not know.
Soon after, the wallaby came with the heath fairies in their pink, white and red frocks, while the opossum followed with the gumnut fairies.
After bowing to the Queen, all the fairies danced merrily round her untilmidnight, when they sat down to a fairy supper served on toadstools.
Suddenly Jill felt a bump. She thought that the kangaroo had col lided with her, but opened her eyes to find her pen in her hand, and she heard her brother say, "Wake up, sleepy head, you can't do your home work in your sleep."
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Do Not Forget Australia
Today, as promised, I welcome Sally Murphy to Spinning Pearls to answer some curious questions about her new picture book.
1. The title of your new book is “Do Not Forget Australia”. Can you name three things you would never forget about Australia if you had to leave?
A. Great question. Three things I wouldn’t forget:
- Our beautiful landscape – hills, forests, plains and, of course, the beaches. Oh, and the smell of the gumtrees.
- The light. The sun and sky in Australia have a special white brightness that the rest of the world seems to miss out on.
- Our freedom. Oh, Australia has its problems (like every country) but, in the main, Aussies are free to follow their dreams and beliefs. We are so very lucky.
2. How did you come by the idea of connecting the two boys in your story via an adult character?
A. From very early on I had the idea of two child characters – one in each country - but it took a while to figure out how to connect them in a way which was feasible to the time. I had thought to have them as penpals, but had trouble with making that authentic. Then, as I thought about the fact that there were Australians stationed there in France, I realised it was quite feasible for an Australian child to have a soldier father there.
3. Had you ever worked with Sonia, your illustrator, before? If so, on what projects?
A. No, I hadn’t worked with Sonia before, though I had seen one of her covers and admired it. And when Walker Books sent me samples of her work and asked me if I thought she was a good match for this story I said an emphatic ‘yes’.
4. “Do Not Forget Australia” was several years in the making, so you must have had definite mind’s eye views of the characters. How did Sonia’s interpretation match your mental pictures?
A. Funnily, I am not really a visual thinker so don’t tend to have very set ideas about how a book should look. The mental images I had were mostly from photos I’d seen whilst researching, and I love the way Sonia has drawn on photo references. Her style is perfect (in my opinion) for the story. I couldn’t have asked for more!
5. Was the story always going to wear this title? How did you arrive at the title?
. A. Yes, the story had this title right from the beginning. It was the sign bearing the words ‘Do Not Forget Australia’ that inspired me to research and write this story, and I didn’t ever consider any other title. Fortunately, there was never any discussion about changing the title – which is something that does tend to arise with a lot of stories.
Thanks heaps for having me, Sally. It’s great to be out and about talking about the book without even leaving home.
Thank you, Sally! You can follow Sally on her blog tour by visiting the sites below.
Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this beautiful book, donated by Walker Books, the publisher. The prize draw will be made on March 14th.
1st March 2012
|
Let's Have Words
| |
2nd March 2012
|
Kids Book Capers
| |
3rd March 2012
|
Running With Pens
| |
4th march 2012
|
Read and Write with Dale
| |
5th March 2012
|
Karen Tyrrell
| |
6th March 2012
|
Writing for Children
| |
7th March 2012
|
Spinning Pearls
| |
8th March 2012
|
Katwhiskers
| |
12th March 2012
|
Pass It On
| |
12th March 2012
|
Kids Book Review
|
http://www.kids-bookreview.com/
|
13th March 2012
|
Under the Apple Tree
| |
14th March 2012
|
Lorraine Marwood. Words into Writing
|
Friday, March 2, 2012
Coming Soon... Sally Murphy's Blog Tour Stop
Hi, everyone! On March 7th, Spinning Pearls will be meeting Sally Murphy as part of her blog tour for her new picture book, DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA.
You can follow the tour at these venues.
1st March 2012 | Let's Have Words | |
2nd March 2012 | Kids Book Capers | |
3rd March 2012 | Running With Pens | |
4th march 2012 | Read and Write with Dale | |
5th March 2012 | Karen Tyrrell | |
6th March 2012 | Writing for Children | |
7th March 2012 | Spinning Pearls | |
8th March 2012 | Katwhiskers | |
12th March 2012 | Pass It On | |
12th March 2012 | Kids Book Review | http://www.kids-bookreview.com/ |
13th March 2012 | Under the Apple Tree | |
14th March 2012 | Lorraine Marwood. Words into Writing |
Friday, February 24, 2012
Interview with Linda Hays-Gibbs
Today I welcome Linda Hays-Gibbs to Spinning Pearls. Linda is the author of a paranormal regency romance called My Angel, My Light as Darkness Falls. Here's what Linda has to say to my inquisitive questions.
Q. How did you get the idea for your book?
A. I was reading about the last battle with Napoleon and how gruesome it was. I thought how awful for the people waiting for loved ones to return to them and about the many that did not return. I wondered if I loved someone that was in that battle how I would feel. Of course I had to add a vampire and an angel plus a few others for excitement. At first I started with the battle scene but I decided to start on a happier note. I love Regency Romance so I have a young girl at a ball and went with the idea from there.
Q. The title you have chosen is an interesting one. Which came first, the story or the title?
A. The title came first and my nurses at my doctor’s helped me with the title. The title has morphed from “Darkness” to “When there was Darkness” to “As Darkness Fell,” which reflects the horrors of the battle. Pru is deathly afraid of the dark too. I had to give the girl a presence in the title and she is an angel as well the real angel who is in the book. Pru has her innocence as her light, hence, “My Angel, My Light As Darkness Falls.” I must confess it was an on-going process but I started with a part of the title and an idea.
Q. Can you suggest three adjectives that apply to your protagonist?
A. Innocent, naïve, overcomer, (progressing to maturity) She is a work in progress.
Q. How long did it take you to write your book?
A. I thought I was finished with it a couple of times but it was never finished. I think three years and there was still so much left to do to it.
Q. What is your favourite scene in your book?
A. When Pru is trying to decide about marrying the Duke and he makes her mind up for her.
Q. The most difficult part of writing your book was…
A. Stopping my imagination from going in too many directions at once. I wanted to add so much more to the story but I was afraid it would make it too much so I had to settle down.
Q. Did you know the whole story in advance?
A. Heavens no! I wrote a skeleton and then changed it several times. I knew where I wanted to go but it was difficult getting there.
Q. Have you any plans for a sequel?
A. Yes, I think with four sets of twins I have lots of places to go. I really would like to write about the others. It would be in the Regency period too and that is my ideal time. I have a real zeal for comedy too. I love the horror or gothic tales and romance with a little comedy to ease the way.
If Linda's answers to my questions have whetted your appetite for angels, demons, vampires and Regency Romance, check out this link to read more or to purchase Linda's book directly from the publisher at Eternal Press. My Angel is also available from other venues around the web.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Meet Dale Harcombe
Welcome to Dale Harcombe who has answered some curious questions about her book Streets on a Map.
Thanks Sally for having me here today.
Q 1. What came first; concept, character or title?
A. Character is always my starting point because everything stems from the character as to what happens and how the story evolves. Character is the most essential aspect to get right. What we remember most from the great books we have read is not usually plot or beautiful writing but the characters.
One young woman told me she saw a lot of herself in Abby. People need to be able to relate to the characters. Perhaps that is what prompted Laila, the other major character in Streets on a Map, so if people found because of age, experiences or outlook they did not relate as well to Abby, they would relate to Laila. Interestingly, from readers’ comments Laila is often the favourite character – the person we’d all like to know or have as a friend in real life.
Fiction is, after all, to some extent based on real life. In fictional characters we see people who may reflect character traits we ourselves have or wish we had. They may say the things we are thinking but would never say. They might start off based on traits of those we know.
Q.2. When you introduced your protagonist(s) did you have a real person or
animal in mind for a template?
A. When I sat down to write about Abby I had a picture in mind of a young woman I saw once in a tavern in Centrepoint. She sat down at the piano stool next to the pianist who shuffled over for her as she started to sing. It was like she couldn’t help herself. She just had to sing. I had no idea of the woman’s name or anything about her but she was my image for Abby. She lived in my head for several years before the rest of the story of Streets on a Map came. She told me her name was Abby. Not Abigail but Abby.
Looking back, (hindsight is great thing,) I think Laila started albeit subconsciously with a visual image of my mother with the chestnut hair and her defining trait of generosity. But in others ways Laila is very different. I tend not to stick too closely to a person I know as it is too limiting. A character may be made up off several different traits and mixtures of people, or even with desires that are opposed to each other. That makes for a complex character. The interesting thing about writing is you can start from a person you know and suddenly the character deviates from the original model and is imbued with a personality and life all their own. To the writer the character needs to be real, as though they are in the room with you. That is the only way they will ever become real to the reader. Though Pearl is one of the minor characters of the novel, she is the type we have all met. I’m sure you’d find a person like her in any small town or neighbourhood. People are fascinating with their contradictions. Pearl is one example of this in Streets on a Map. There are others.
Q.3. Does your protagonist have a pet? If so, what?
A. Early on in Streets on a Map Abby adopts a white pup of indeterminate mix. Her best guess is some sort of wire haired or foxie terrier cross. She names him Hermit because of his tendency to, ‘sidle sideways like a crab.’ This is a result of being of one of a litter of pups bashed and left for dead on the side of the road. From her quick response to the newspaper article we see Abby is not only impulsive, she is a sucker for the hurt and helpless. Hermit has one fault as far as Joel, Abby’s husband, is concerned. He is a one woman dog and he doesn’t like men. He barely tolerates Joel.
Q.4. When writing dialogue, do you "hear" it in your mind's ear?
A. Yes, most definitely. Writers are the only people who can have people carry on conversations in their head or out loud with no-one else in the room and not be thought to be suffering from a mental problem. As I am writing, and later when revising, I speak the words aloud. That makes it easier to pick up if anything doesn’t work or ring true to the character and their interests and speech patterns.
Readers should be able at all times to tell who is speaking by their speech patterns and the words they use. Just as not everyone in life sounds the same, neither should our characters. For example when I listen to my husband tell a story he has his own unique way of phrasing things. We might be on the same wave length but we have different ways of getting our point across.
Dialogue should sound true to life. It is not true to life in the sense that if you taped an actual conversation you would find it riddled with waffle, pauses, 'um' and various other expressions. Much of what people talk about can be trivial. Dialogue is like real life without all the boring bits. It must always serve a purpose, to help the reader learn more about a character or situation, or move the action forward and not be idle chatter.
Q.5. What are three things you do on a regular basis to promote your book(s) your author "brand" or reading and writing in general? How successful do you find these?
A. I have a website which lists all my books and tell readers a little about me. You can find it at www.daleharcombe.com I hope to get to and update it a little soon. Time is as always the enemy.
I have a blog Write and Read with Dale http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/ where I talk about writing and writing related matters, and share book reviews or anything else that captures my interest.
I enjoy being asked to do interviews like this one. Thanks again for inviting me to your blog, Sally. Other times I might do character interviews which I have done for both Laila and Abby individually at other sites at the request of those bloggers.
Plus I leave comments on other blogs so it may introduce me to readers of those blogs. Because I write for both adults and children I am part of several online writers groups which support, share information and experiences, and often recommend books to read. Sometimes any of these can result in sales but like anything it is time consuming too and time taken away from writing. The best thing is, as happened recently, someone who had bought and enjoyed Streets on a Map, came back and bought another copy for a relative. There have been several instances where people have bought multiple copies for family or friends after having read Streets on a Map themselves. In the long run word of mouth about a book is the best advertisement.
For more about Streets on a Map and to order a copy, click this link. http://www.daleharcombe.com/books.htm
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