Titles - things aren't what they used to be?

 Have you noticed - or is it just me, that book titles are not quite so poetic, literary, romantic - in the fullest sense of the word, as they used to be? I'm thinking of some of Mary Stewart's -  Nine Coaches Waiting, This Rough Magic both from plays, Jane Aitkin Hodge's Watch the Wall my Darling - from a poem, a number of Agatha Christies from Shakespeare - By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Taken at the Flood . Shakespeare and the Bible are very popular in the past, but would we use them now? They sound fabulous, and to me enticing - but do they tell us what the book is about, except in a general way?

In the days of key words and algorithms it seems genre titles have become blunter. As the saying goes - the book's contents  is what it says on the tin.  The title tells the reader the protagonist - Daughter, Mother, Sister, Girl. The location - library, bookshop, bakery - often with the name of a (made up) place which  tells you whether it is English country village or small town America. A time - usually Christmas or summer. It can be a quote, but not from a poem but from a character in the book -   a threat or a promise to tell, of retribution, in the 'I know X about you' vein.. 'Murder' and 'death' are popular in crime. If you are writing Regency a duke is obligatory, made up, of course are there are not enough real ones to go round. One word titles - or two word with the addition of 'The' are striking.

 You see what I mean? Have a look. and a think, next time you are in the book aisle of the supermarket.  It doesn't apply universally - but I think it is noticeable - and it certainly gives the reader a clear idea of what they might be reading, and if they will like it. 

Also - do we read plays, poems, Shakespeare, the Bible as much as we did - are we less likely to recognise a classic quote? 

A simple title has it's virtues. 

Well, what about it 2025?

 New year - a time for the start of wonderful things? 

At this time of year I actually feel drawn to the idea of being a bear - an excuse to eat a lot, and sleep, also a lot. Despite the passing of the solstice it is still dark ... and cold. Humans are expected to greet the new year with gusto - resolutions, life plans, new leaves  to be turned over - all that stuff. When the new year comes in, my mind always turns to the Gate of the Year poem by Minnie Louise Haskins which talks about walking into the unknown. It was used in the King's Christmas broadcast in 1939, the first Christmas of the Second World War, and created quite a stir. My grandmother had a text - I think published by a newspaper - in a frame. My mother would recite it to herself when she had to go out in the dark of the blackout to go to work and when she got married asked my grandmother if she could have it. I grew up with it and read it at her funeral - didn't really read it as I also knew it by heart. It was also apparently read at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. All this is very sombre - but a new year is a step into the unknown. 

What is on the horizon? A few things I know will be different - neither the Romantic Novelists' nor the Crime Writers' Association  are having conferences this year, but other events are springing up, taking their place.  I don't currently have a book in production - although I hope that will change by the end of the year. I am having a lot of work done on the the house to keep it and me from falling over, which is exciting and nerve racking, as these things are. Also expensive! 

So - no resolutions as experience has shown that you never know what is before you. Hopes and plans, yes. 

If you have made resolutions I wish you every success. if not, then we will muddle through together and enjoy the months as they pass. 

Happy New Year. 

Happy New Year

 

Wishing all my readers the very best for 2025. 

December 25th

 Well, it's here. 

Wishing you a fabulous day - however you chose to spend it. And if you are in a situation where there is little or no choice, I wish you better things for 2025. 

Happy Christmas

Nadolig Llawen 

A Plague On All Your (Country) Houses?

 If you look for any cosy crime/mystery stories set at Christmas then it's good odds you will find yourself embroiled in a country house party. 

And there must be a snow storm.

 Honestly, why would anyone accept an invitation to a house party  knowing that they would inevitably end up stowed in, with a murderer picking off guests one by one?

But readers, and therefore authors, love them!  They are frequently Golden Age, original or written as historical. Although  a contemporary setting  is possible the patina of a lost time seems to add to the mix. And, of course,  once the snow is deep and the single phone line down - probably courtesy of the killer - then no communication is available. None of that pesky mobile phone or Internet stuff. 

The basic ingredients are ripe for murder. A group if disparate people - obviously with various tensions in the relationships. Probably not a group anyone in their right mind would invite for a peaceful Christmas - but as my mother would say, if it wasn't like that, there would not be a story. So we find estranged children, uneasy business partners, former or illicit lovers, heirs in waiting. 

There must be a classic Christmas setting, with all the trappings - food, roaring fires, trees and decorations, almost the definition of cosy, lulling us into a false sense of security. The kind of Christmas everyone thinks they should be having, but probably few achieve? 

It is the darkest time of the year , with a power cut optional. The house is undoubtedly big and spooky, with long corridors, several staircases and perhaps a picture gallery. Also attics and cellars. It is usually attics - havens for neglected festive decorations and dressing up boxes. Cellars are more for thrillers, unless it is a wine cellar. 

There will be staff, and a 'lord of the manor' a good candidate for being the first victim. The second will be the person who appeared to have done the crime, and/or has crucial information which they are about to divulge to the sleuth. There must be a sleuth - an amateur or possibly a private detective - Hercule Poirot please step forward. The police - in the first instance likely to be the slow and bovine village bobby, complete with bike - will be late on the scene, held up by the snow. There will be clues, as the whole thing is based on a puzzle. 

Everything hinges on atmosphere. The conjuring of the perfect Christmas that actually isn't And we would not have it any other way.

Secret Santa?

It has become a workplace tradition - an anonymous exchange of gifts - some inspired, many naff, some just weird. I still haven't fathomed the whys and wherefores of the giant stuffed mouse - but he is cute.

The mystery secret santa - wearing my reading glasses. 

 Authors, being a solitary bunch, don't really get to play in this game. but I thought I would offer a list of suggestions of small and not so small gifts, just in case. 

•  Pens - always welcome. A certain famous romance author has a brilliant collection of designer fountain pens but if you can't run to a Montblanc a serviceable ball point would be fine. (There's an Agatha Christie set, with quotes, that I have my eye on.) 
•  Note books. Show me an author and I will be prepared to bet that they have a thing for notebooks - bright colours, fancy covers, embroidery, pictures - and please, don't get me stared on glitter, Writers tend to get very possessive and hoard them, like dragons. You have been warned. 
•  Chocolate - in any form - blocks, boxes, biscuits, even to drink ... 
•  And talking of drink - alcohol is probably in the mix. Not for me, but acceptable to many.
• Scented candles - possibly not for someone with allergies - a gift for someone whose taste you know? (That might also apply to anything edible too, by the way.)
• Books and/or bookish things - bookmarks, tote bags. jewelry ...
•  Gifty things - flowers, hampers, fruit baskets - if you want to be inventive cheese, tea, socks ... Yes we are getting a bit off the secret santa concept now and into the bigger stuff.

There is always one totally acceptable gift, of course, that doesn't cost a thing, except a little time - an appreciative and perceptive review for a book you have enjoyed. Even a few words, if time is tight. 'A good read - I recommend it.'

Finding your tribe

 Christmas is a time for family - or so we are told. When you don't have any family left, it becomes a time for friends. As a writer, it is time for hanging out with my tribe.  Like minded people that you chose to be with - which may be an improvement on some family gatherings? Just saying. 

So far this month I have met with some fellow creatives from various disciplines at a professional event - not friends as such, but a welcome interaction with people with like minds - lunch, chat and some formal business. A highlight was a discussion on the place of Mary Stewart as an influence on the kind of romantic fiction I write - that would be a very significant one as far as I am concerned - which was interesting as the two people I was talking with were men. We were united in the opinion that her books have been gravely overlooked by film and TV. There have been a number of very enjoyable radio recordings, but as far as I am aware the only book to make it to film was The Moonspinners. Dating from 1964, it was a vehicle for the transition of child actress Hayley Mills to adult roles and featured her first screen kiss. Which took place, if my memory serves. while hiding in the back of a converted hearse. 

Since then? Nothing. 

IMHO Wildfire at Midnight would be excellent for TV. Set on the Isle of Skye at the time of the Coronation of Elizabeth II and and the climb to the top of Everest, it has Beltane fires, supernatural superstitions, missing girls, murder and lots of fog. Perfect creepy Sunday night viewing. Perhaps some day a power-that-is will realise it. 

My second tribal outing was with seven members of the Cariad Chapter of the RNA for an excellent Christmas lunch at one of the local branches of Zizzis. The food was good and the service attentive and the company was - of course - first rate. Lots of laughter and gossip. 

I have another two outings on the calendar - one with a mob of crime writers and one with a collection of writers from various disciplines - mostly women's and romantic fiction but with a poet and non fiction writer in the mix. Looking forward to both. Good to be with people who totally understand you. 

Photo shamelessly stolen form Jan Baynham.