Historical fiction needs an authentic voice For the readers, it’s connecting with a main character that arrests their interest when thrown into an unfamiliar time. For instance, apart from historians, who can imagine life as a soldier in Russia’s wars, the distances and climate and how their families fared without[…]
Read More »Why careful research is vital I’m writing my 12th book, but the one I’ve felt most attached to is Book 3 of my historical trilogy set in 1937-1951, A Relative Invasion. I called Book 3 “Impact” – indicating the dramatic outcome of the two main characters’ lives to date. Whereas[…]
Read More »Advice for writers typically suggests that a series works best for indies. Does it make sense for the first three in the series to form a trilogy? Not always… A trilogy suggests an entity like the three-movement sonata in music, or the triptych in art. The form must be complete,[…]
Read More »Me-Time Tales: tea breaks for mature women and curious men, 2nd edition Katie Fforde said: “Quirky and Intriguing”. This short story collection is certainly not erotica; hardly a glimpse of bare flesh– but a subtly dark edge instead. Most, at first, seem light-hearted; then there’s the twist. After finishing the[…]
Read More »Do you have a writing plan? It’s assumed there are two kinds of writers: those who have a writing plan, and those who write on the seat of their pants. I would love to write a synopsis, the theme, the backgrounds of each character, the main events of each chapter[…]
Read More »Writers’ undercurrents: in the novel you’ve just read — or in your own writing? Sometimes it’s only after finishing a novel that you become aware of its undercurrent. For instance, in Dead Water (Simon Ings) the fast paced plot involves the protagonist in a deadly international chase after an evil[…]
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