Accidental inspiration.

 I had a day out with a friend yesterday. Amongst coffee, lunch and lots of gossip, we visited the Gwen John exhibition at the museum in Cardiff. I didn't know a lot about her, and having seen the exhibition I can't say that she is going into my top five of favourite painters, bur the exhibition was worth visiting. As  a writer I'm a great believer in taking opportunities - art, theatre, lectures - you never know what might feed the beast called inspiration, for want of a better description. 

Gwen John's works were small, mostly domestic scenes and portraits, many in series and with a muted colour palettte. There were a lot of people at the exhibition and it was clear that a great deal of work and organisation had gone into assembling it, from many sources - private and public collections from around the world. 

Apart from the art, what did I get? She studied at the Slade, so there was information about her studies there.  The artist in my partially completed but currently stalled WIP studied there, so now I have information that will be useful when I finally go back to it. There were books, diaries and letters, always interesting and a bit of inspiration for the current WIP, although my 'artist' is a writer. I fell in love with a small published volume - I think it might have been poetry  - that had drawings and annotations in the margins - that will certainly be inspiring for future books. And as I mentioned, the paintings were in series. That gave me a half formed idea of some sort of hidden message in an artist's work. It's nebulous at the moment, but it will develop if and when needed, I am sure.

So, that's what I got from my day out. Very well worth it.

And vey enjoyable. 

Right Time?

 The WIP is meant to have shades of Dark Academia. Don't know how that is going to pan out, but that's the current plan. Dark academia has a Gothic, moody vibe, which means that the standard time for them to take place is autumn. That's the setting for the first part of the WIP - November, under a Frost moon. (The most cited name for November's moon is Beaver. but it didn't have the same ring.)   The story is in two parts though, so what about the second? Which leads me to a big question, can you be spooky in daylight?

You see, I have a yen to set the second half of the book around now - spring, more specifically Beltane, 1st May, time of fire festivals.

I know where this comes from. Ever since reading Mary Stewart's Wildfire at Midnight  set on the island of Skye in the run up to the coronation in 1953 - which was at the beginning of June, so a little later than Beltane, but making use of the idea of the Beltane fires, I have wanted to create something set at Beltane.

Is this the opportunity? Is it possible to get the gothic and Dark Academic vibe when there is so much daylight? I have realised that I am planning two incidents of arson as part of the book - when you write suspense you get to do all the 'fun' stuff - so the fire theme may be emerging incidentally. 

But can I make May sufficiently creepy?

I'm really not sure, but I am thinking seriously. My location is the Welsh coast, not a Scottish island, but I'm trying for Atmosphere - with a distinct capital A. There might be fog - which is a device Mary Stewart also uses, but I'm not too keen on that. 

I'm really not sure. But I'm tempted...

Am I doing this?

 As you know, the WIP is really making progress - slow, but happening. Now I have some pages in my hand, I am wondering ...

As part of the Romantic Novelists' Association conference which takes place at the end of July attendees have the opportunity of a short consultation with an agent or editor - possibly more than one, to discuss a manuscript. Big question - should I have a go? The MS is a long way from anything like finished. A looong way. And I have no idea what I intend to do with it when that happens, except a nebulous idea about self publishing. But - now I am tempted. The 1-2-1 sessions at conference are acknowledged to be only the very first step on a book being taken on, so there would be no six figure contracts in the offing. (Don't we all wish!) but it would be interesting to find out from a professional whether they found it interesting, particularly as I am crossing genres - romantic suspense and dark academia. (And which is a big reason why I have assumed I would have to self publish). 

Thing is, the selection process requires all the usual submission stuff, synopsis, elevator pitch, bio, the opening of the actual book ... I haven't done any of that for a long time. 

Do I want to? 

Would I be better off spending my time just quietly plowing on with the actual WIP? Currently dithering and  scribbling 30 word pitches on bits of scrap paper.

I'm really not sure. But if I don't, will I get to the conference, hear the valuable  feedback other people are getting and wish I had?  

I used to do those author/editor/agent meetings at every opportunity before I had a book accepted. And it was as a result of one of those 1-2-1s at the RNA conference in Greenwich, many moons ago, that I got my contract with Choc-lit. 

No expectations now, and it will be a while before there is actually a viable book.

But I am curious ...

No expectations now

Excitement

 It's been an exciting week in the romance world - the week when the finalists in the Romantic Novelists' Association annual awards are announced. Judged by readers and spread over twelve categories the awards represent some of the best UK romantic fiction over the past year. Names you will know, some you won't, all competing for the accolade of being a winner. Even being a finalist is a great honour and a real buzz. I know, I've been a winner once and a finalist twice. As I have not had a book out for a while, I don't have a horse in the race - although I have hopes that maybe it might happen again. There are lots of friends in the various line ups this year, so awards night, which takes place next month, will be an event. If you want to know a bit more, and maybe get some high class suggestions for the TBR pile details are HERE

And reliving past glories - this is when I won the Joan Hessayan trophy for the best RNA debut in 2012 with the book that was then called Never Coming Home. 

The RNA Chairperson, the late Annie Ashcroft/Sara Craven is handing over the trophy. I don't remember if that was before or after I burst into tears! I will always be proud that my name is on the lovely little piece of silverware. 

Testing the water.

Being an author is like sitting in an ivory tower. You scribble away, never quite sure whether what you are producing is viable, or even if it makes sense. Which is why when someone at the writers' group that I attend in Hereford suggested we have a workshop to critique each others WIP, I jumped at the chance. I've done it before, but not for a while. It is a supportive atmosphere, the object is constructive criticism, with a bit of encouragement thrown in, so a good place to launch your duckling on an unsuspecting world to find out if you have a potential swan - or just a duckling with delusions of grandeur. 

There were 8 of us, everyone puts in 10 pages, anonymously, we hire a room and take the day to work through them, with lunch in the middle. Apart from the day itself, the first scary thing was seeing the other submissions. All very different, all scary good. It was at this point I began to get Imposter Syndrome in a big way!

As it was an early start and I wanted to be on the ball as my 10 pages were first on the list. I had a very nice night in the Green Dragon Hotel in the town centre. It made a real difference, as my journey time is two hours on the train, with a very early walk to the station. Fine for a social event and catch up with friends - not so good if you will be spending the day working. with an earlier start than usual to get everything in. 

And it was worth it. 

As I have said before, I am returning to the style I had when I first got published, a rather more gritty romantic suspense. I was particularly wondering about my first line and whether I had managed to get the hero right - I wanted mystery and an edge of danger. Turns out things were OK. I got some really good feedback about the whole thing, the things people wanted to see about my heroine and pointers on the setting. We had an entertaining discussion on whether seagulls fly in the dark. (They do, I have them nesting on my neighbours' roofs, but I probably need to have another look at that.) It has given me confidence to keep going, and we are doing it all again in October, so I can have another go with another bit. It was really good to look at everyone else's work too, read some really great stories and help other authors in the way they had helped me. And a lot of fun finding out if your guesses of who had written what were right. 

All in all a tiring and intensive but worthwhile day.

.  

Guess where I've been?

 

Yes - it was a few days in London - research and a day at the London Book Fair. The research was productive - first a trip to the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square. I visited a few favourites - including two paintings by Watteau that I have used in a book. Sorry to say I can't remember which book!  I think is was Masquerade. The main object of the exercise though was to see Caravaggio's painting of Victorious Cupid which is currently on loan from a gallery in Berlin. I have plans for a future book that will involve a missing Caravaggio painting - he led a pretty tumultuous life so there are a few of them, but I'm going to invent one - and with all drama he enjoyed I think it will be plausible. But - hey, it's a story - I made it up. The cupid was wonderful. A street urchin with eagle wings as the god of love. You can see it HERE  

On my last day I popped over to the British Library. The heroine of the WIP, Nel, will be spending some time researching there so I wanted to reacquaint myself with the place. I had a good prowl around, and reacquainted also with the shop, that had a three for two offer on the BL Crime Classics, so my credit card got an unexpected airing. I think I will renew my readers card so I can have the full experience next time. Got to get the paperwork sorted for that. 

And in between was the Book Fair at Olympia. It was big, and very interesting. I'd been before, many years ago. It's humming with publishers and industry professionals, doing business, and fascinating for an author to see a huge and dynamic industry at work - all the various publishers, UK and foreign - and extra services, from literary themed socks to tote bags.  I was interested in things related to self publishing and there was plenty to see. I explored and talked to a lot of people, attended a panel on Kindle Unlimited, connected with a few old friends, picked up leaflets and brochures which I now have to read and digest. I was particularly interested in the companies offering services like distribution and audio, such as Audible, Ingram Spark and Gardners.  I'm expecting that the WIP will be self published, so I'm looking forward to learning more. I'd like to be able to offer paperbacks as well as e-books and as most of my books have audio versions that would be good too, but it is all very ambitious at the moment. But we can dream. I especially fell for the paperbacks with the gorgeous sprayed edges. Yes please!!!

It was a good and useful day. Plenty of food for future thought. And for making plans, when the time is right. It will probably start as baby steps, but it is good to understand the possibilities.  

Now - write the book!!!!!!!!!!!

Tropes - or no tropes?

 Many of those who read romance are big on tropes. Which means writers are too. I've never been that big on them, or at least, not while writing the book. Afterwards you can see them - Summer in San Remo was enemies to lovers and second chance romance, but it didn't start out that way in my head. It was Cass and Jake, who had history - and it grew from there. 

As tropes are such a thing at the moment I've been wondering about a few for the WIP. But right now I actually can't think of any!!!

Writing romantic suspense maybe puts it a bit outside the categories, or creates some of its own? I know my hero has a protective streak, and he will not believe that he is the right man for the heroine - until we both prove him wrong. And my heroine? She's independent and competent, but her confidence has been badly shaken, so she is suffering a bit from imposter syndrome - and writers know all about that. 

And then there is the Dark Academia that I keep banging on about. Now that will have some tropes. Buildings, gothic style, I have a few of them lined up. Obsession - plenty of that from the villain of the piece. I've not got him/her picked out properly yet, but I know they will emerge from the fog when the time is right. There is the academic stuff - now that is my thing.  I'm having fun creating a subject for Nel's PhD thesis that is going to get lots of people into lots of trouble. Atmosphere - goes with the buildings, but there will have to be old books, and probably candles, and an autumnal feel, and plenty of art and history - which is certainly a thing. Remind me to tell you about the research into the painter, Caravaggio. It's not for this book, but I have plans. But in all these I cannot see me shoehorning in a forced proximity or grumpy/sunshine senario, unless it happens naturally. 

As far as this WIP goes, I have a beginning. I have a writers' workshop coming up soon when I will be trying out that beginning on some fellow authors. All friends, but that does not mean that there will not be opinions expressed. I've not done one for a while, so I am nervous. But it will be a good exercise to see if what I have so far has legs. Fingers crossed.