VINTAGE...NOT OLD...by Sheila Claydon

I am in the middle of re-editing several books that I wrote in the 1980s. They are being re-published as Vintage Romance, and that word vintage got me thinking about how my writing life has changed since they were first published.

In those early days I produced a top copy and a carbon copy on a portable manual typewriter, and both copies were stored in box files until I typed The End on the final page and sent the top copy off to a publisher with a covering letter. To get them even looked at instead of ending up on a junior editor's slush pile, writers had to do their homework. Woe betide any hopeful author who didn't produce a manuscript to each publisher's exact specification. I remember having to send 200+ single-sided, double-spaced pages to one publisher (no more than 10 chapters, one inch margins all round, each page numbered  centre bottom and with name and title at the top).  The pages then had to be boxed and secured with an elastic band, and I had to include a stamped addressed envelope for the reply; a reply which would probably not arrive for months.

When, after quite a lot of rejection letters, I was finally invited to meet an editor to discuss one of my manuscripts with a view to publication, I was beside myself with excitement. The editor was positive and her suggestions helpful. I left the meeting walking on air and spent the next few weeks revising and re-writing, sure that it was only a matter of time before I took the publishing world by storm. Pride, of course, always comes before a fall, and what a fall it was. The revised manuscript received a very swift rejection. I don't remember the exact words of the letter except that it said my editor had now left the publishing company and her successor did not feel my manuscript was a fit.

That was quite possibly the worst day of my writing life but I eventually followed the advice in Jerome Kern's song and picked myself up, dusted myself off and started all over again. After all I had a completed manuscript that needed a home. It eventually found one I'm glad to say and a long life too. Initially published in 1983, and then again in 2012, it will soon go to a 3rd edition when it is re-published in digital and paperback by Books We Love in 2018. In the meantime two of its contemporaries have already been republished: The Hollywood Collection and Bouquet of Thorns. 

Re-reading and editing all those early books has been a more enjoyable experience than I anticipated because they have stood the test of time surprisingly well. I also found myself remembering where the stories had come from and what had prompted me to write them. The Hollywood Collection for example was triggered by a magazine article about a handsome and up-and-coming young British dress designer. To research it, however, required a lot more graft than nowadays. With no Internet it was libraries, newspapers and magazines.  Also I had never been to Hollywood.  Nowadays I only write about places I know, but then I was much more cavalier. Ah, the arrogant confidence of youth.

Reading those books again definitely brought back memories of that time before I also became vintage!

You can find details of all Sheila's books on the following sites:

Books We Love Author Page

Check out her books at Books We Love 

Sheila Claydon on facebook

Who Would Play My Characters in the Movie by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

http://bookswelove.net/authors/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

Total Speculation and dreaming--but wouldn't it be wonderful if a production company decided they wanted to make my historical novel, Romancing the Klondike, into a movie. When I thought about who would play my characters I went with all Canadian actors and actresses.

Here is the list:

Ellen Page as Pearl Owens

Rachael McAdams as Emma Owens

Ryan Reynolds as Sam Owens

Ryan Gosling as Donald Miller

Seth Rogen as Gordon Baker

Keanu Reeves as Joe Ladue

Jane Eastwood as Mrs. Wills

I think that the lesser characters should also be Canadian actors and actresses. After all, this is a Canadian story.

What do you think of my selections?

When Words Collide

For more information about Susan Calder's books, or to purchase please visit her Books We Love Author Page.

This is a big weekend for book lovers in Calgary -- When Words Collide Festival for Readers and Writers. I am currently dashing from panel to presentation, trying to pack in as much as I can. 

Is that me on a WWC panel -- third person from the left?

I've attended WWC every August since it began six years ago; the brainchild of our local imaginative fiction authors who felt their annual convention wasn't offering enough for writers interested in craft and promotion. I didn't expect much from this new event and mainly attended as a fan of science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer, one of that year's five special guest authors.

WWC poster 2011

Since I had a new book to promote, I volunteered to conduct a workshop on Writing Dialogue. I was astonished to see the people pour in; they had to turn away some at the door. In the Merchants' Room, I did a shift at the shared author table and sold all the copies of my novel I'd brought. Other highlights for me were the keynote addresses, where each guest author spoke for 20 minutes on whatever subject he wanted, and a coffee klatch with Robert Sawyer and a dozen other fans seated around a table. This opportunity for a personal contact between writers and readers is one appeal of the festival.    

Overall, I was surprised by how much I learned at the panels and presentations, even though imaginative fiction isn't my genre. Fortunately, I'm a fan of the original Star Trek series and was able to catch the numerous references to Spock and the gang.

Most of all, I was impressed by the festival's energy. Science Fiction and Fantasy types know how to host a fun event. Showing up in costume is acceptable, if not encouraged.        

Since that first year, WWC has grown to 750 attendees and typically sells out two months ahead.  Most who come are local Calgarians, although many travel from other Canadian and US locations. They find the festival price of $45-60 (depending on when you register) a steal for three full days of programming, with 12 choices of panels, presentations, blue pencil cafes, pitch sessions and more per hour.

WWC brings in some literary stars in their genre. A couple of years ago, Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, lit up every room she entered.  

 

At the same time, anyone can be a presenter. All you have to do is suggest a topic or put your name in for a panel. No one is paid -- the stars are reimbursed their expenses -- but always more people than they need offer to present for the promotion and experience.

Me on a WWC panel

With another new book out, I'm focused on panelling this year. Somehow, I've wound up on six panels, four in the mystery genre and two others titled Fragility & Mental Illness Within Story and Beyond Traditional and Self-Publishing. I'm also doing a shift at the Books We Love table in the Merchants' Room and attending the Saturday evening banquet and Mass Autograph session. This year's banquet theme is the roaring twenties.      

Me in flapper costume

Last year, I only presented at two WWC panels to keep my time free for attending other sessions and activities. In the Merchants' Room, at the Steampunk party and at a panel on Mature Sleuths, I heard good things about Books We Love, a local publisher of genre fiction. After the festival, I sent BWL a query. Less than two weeks later I signed a contract.

Are writers' festivals, and especially When Words Collide, worth attending? You bet!

Nancy Drew's Parents by Karla Stover

     To me, one of the worst things about becoming an adult was outgrowing Nancy Drew. I went from Dick and Jane to Nancy Drew when I was about seven, and the highlight  of Christmas was getting two more of her books. Our library didn't carry the series so I borrowed wherever I could. One girl in my grade school was a couple years older and I didn't really know her, but, somehow, I learned she had The Mystery of the Tolling Bell and I borrowed the book at least three times.

 

      Nancy has changed over the years, but my Nancy was an attractive, sixteen-ear-old blonde who drove and repaired her own Blue Roadster car, and didn't go to school. She ran the family home because her mother passed away; She was "spunky, plucky, and daring." She could tap dance, and in one book had to tap a message in Morse code, something I always wanted to be able to do--tap dance not learn Morse code. And apparently, money was no object when it came to her adventures.

     Nancy's mother was Margaret Wirt Benson, who wrote under her own name, Carolyn Keene, and several others. Just like Nancy,  Benson loved adventure, and visited Central American jungles, and archeological digs, and canoed down rivers. Benson created Nancy in the series' first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, when she was 25. Twenty-two Nancy Drew mysteries followed.

     Edward Stratemeyer was Nancy's father. While Benson wrote 130 books, Stratemeyer is credited with "producing in excess of 1,300." Note the words, "wrote," and "producing." What Stratemeyer did was write "a three-page plot for each book, describing locale, characters, time frame, and giving a basic story outline. He mailed this to a writer who, for a fee ranging from fifty dollars to two hundred and fifty dollars, would write a book and send it back within a month.

     After Stratemeyer died, Nancy got a new publisher and a new look and a new persona. "Some, mostly fans, vociferously lament the changes, (which included first-person  narrative) seeing Nancy as a silly, air-headed girl whose trivial adventures (discovering who squished the zucchini in Without a Trace (2003)) "hold a shallow mirror to a pre-teen's world," one woman wrote, as Nancy was also featured in The Nancy Drew Files, Nancy Drew Girl Detective, and Nancy Drew on Campus.
 
    Her friends, The Hardy Boys were also having growing pains. The books from their "Weird Period" are "full of inconsistencies, and their adventures involve futuristic gadgetry and exotic locations." The series I grew up with ended in 2005 and was replaced with The Hardy Boys - Undercover Brothers. They often undertake liberal causes.

     An old proverb says, "change is the only constant" which is no doubt  true, but I think I prefer to think of it as inevitable--except from a vending machine, of course.
    
    

Books We Love Prime - New Subscriber Option for Serious Readers

Books We Love is in the process of setting up a subscription option for serious readers.  Tentatively planned to roll out in September Books We Love Prime will allow readers to subscribe for a month or a year - no renewal required - and give them the option of choosing 12 books every month from Books We Love's extensive inventory of over 700 titles. 

For more information and to be one of the first subscribers visit Books We Love Prime, here:  http://bookswelove.net/books-we-love-prime/

Books We Love is a Canadian genre fiction publisher with authors from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.  Our authors write popular fiction in all genres from Romance in every subgenre, Mystery in every sub-genre, Thrillers and Suspense, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Westerns (traditional and contemporary), Historical Fiction and Young Adult fiction in every genre.

Books We Love authors are seasoned professionals who have been writing and publishing their work for decades and who have weathered the changes from writing hard covers and paperbacks for the mid-lists to early ventures into the eBook marketplace and experimenting with the explosion of Indie publishing. 

Books We love authors have chosen to publish with BWL Publishing Inc. because of the Company's requirement that all authors have both experience in the industry and the necessary skill level to be considered professional writers.  Authors writing under the Books We Love label are master story tellers.  They have proven themselves through decades of studying, practicing and perfecting the craft of writing.  At BWL Publishing you will be choosing books written by experts in their chosen genres who have earned their positions in the literary community.  SOME OF OUR TITLES ARE PICTURED BELOW.  ALL OF THEM ARE HERE:  bookswelove.com



The Natasha Saga - by Heather Greenis

 For More Details on Heather Greenis' books and Purchase Information

Visit Heather's Books We Love Author page

About Heather Greenis
Canadian, born and raised in Ontario, I'm humanitarian, and an environmentalist. Reduce, re-use and then recycle. I'm proud of the fact we have solar panels on our home. We have a 20 pound fluff-ball who runs the house. The humans simply pay the bills and ensure she gets fed twice a day. She is rather insistent upon the treats as well. Our dog isn't spoiled at all.

My husband is an avid reader who gets the first read on my manuscripts. If he likes it, he does some editing and gives me advice and suggestions. I'm always open for those, even when I grumble and argue about it. If he doesn't like my latest attempt, I sulk in the corner like a kid. Not really, just in my mind. But that manuscript gets placed on the back-burner until I decide what to do with it. Delete is aways an option.

The Natasha Saga: a four part family saga 

Empowerment shatters traditions and lives. Greed and pride have devastating consequences. Sacrifices must be made. Written on multiple levels, the saga deals with hope, relationships, and giving, set against a background of conflicting values. 
Through a series of dreams, modern day couple Keeghan and William follow the triumphs and tragedies of multiple generations of the Donovan family. A chance encounter changes Natasha’s life, forever. In her diary, Natasha writes of her dream, and her hope to escape a horrid dictated future.
Will Natasha's legacy survive an uncertain future?

Goodreads Review -Natasha's Dream
We get swept up with this story of Stewart and Natasha and panic to find out what happens next. The ending of the book is a surprise.
I loved this book it was an interesting storyline and I adored the relationship between Stewart and Natasha. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Reviewed by Jennifer

Goodreads Review - The Natasha Saga
Reading "The Natasha Saga, 4 volume set" is like embarking on a very realistic, romantic journey that you won't ever want to return from!
Sometimes I get the rare chance to read a book series or in this case, a saga that leaves me speechless and deeply moved. This series has touched my heart and soul at the deepest level...I personally would absolutely love to see this story made into a movie and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a timeless tale with unexpected twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged for hours and be unable to put down!

Heather's website 

Travelling in Canada - Part II

Visit Heather's author page

Our holiday continued, travelling though the province of Alberta. 

Day number 5.

I hoped to see the Columbian Icefields; The Athabasca Glacier, but the 2 ½ hour journey would take us through some incredible sights, so no promises. We rose the following morning, packed a picnic lunch and began traveling north, towards Jasper.  The road took us through mountains and past gorgeous glacier fed lakes. My husband and I took turns driving. We couldn't help but pull over at the designated sight seeing locations and just 'take it in'. 














Spectacular scenery wowed us around every turn.  We stopped at the side of a road, ate our lunch and simply enjoyed the lake and mountain.

Arriving at the glacier late afternoon, the ice field is worth the trip.  At an elevation of about 3000 metres, it's spectacular. The area is well fenced off so a tour company takes those interested onto the ice. Unfortunately, it's melting at an accelerated rate. Signs shows how it's receding.

Posted signs remind those that are a little too adventurous that rescue teams will come out if you happen to fall into a deep crevice, but you will probably lose your life to hypothermia 

Dressed in a t-shirt, capris and a cardigan, we hiked up the mountain, along with a lot of other tourists and gazed at the ice and the scenery surrounding it.

Leaving the ice, we headed for the tourist information centre and bought tickets for the Glacier Skywalk. This glass bottom walkway was the brain child of a tour bus driver. Nice! That person deserves a raise and perhaps a promotion for thinking outside the box.


I had reservations heading to this attraction. I have been up the CN Tower, a landmark in Toronto a number of times, but struggle to step onto the glass bottom. My fear of heights kicks into high gear. 

We were offered audio devices to listen to a narrator. Interpretive stations are set up with pictures and descriptions along the short walk to the lookout. I approached the glass, took a look down and thought, I can do this. Catherine was still taking pics when I took my first baby step. No problem, I took another. I took a few more steps, looked back at my friend and said, 'Look at me' and grinned like a fool. 

                                            

We were on the far side of the walk when Catherine dared me to jump on it. The tourists around us thought we'd lost it as a few hung on the railing for dear life, but we jumped and took some foolish pictures. 

We were on the top of the world. Well, really high up in Canada. 

Happy 150th birthday to our glorious nation. 

Last month I mentioned a super high waterfall. I promise, I'll tell you all about that on next month's blog.

Rosa, a Historical Romance by June Gadsby

Visit June Gadsby's Books We Love Author page

for more information and purchase links for her books 

About June Gadsby

 Born in her grandparent’s old miner’s cottage overlooking the River Tyne, June Gadsby’s life has been as interesting as any published saga. Leaving school at fifteen without qualifications of any kind, she pushed herself beyond the expectations of her family. Her teachers realised her talent as an artist, but were surprised when she announced, at the age of eight, that she intended to become an ‘author’. More than once she heard the words of her strict, Victorian grandmother: “you’ll never make it…” Her mother thought that June’s writing was a ‘nice, but unsociable little hobby’. But June refused to lose sight of her ambition. On leaving school she started work as an office junior, taught herself shorthand and typing and became a secretary, eventually attaining one of the highest posts as Administrative Assistant [Executive Medical Secretary] at Newcastle University’s Medical School. It wasn’t until she wrote about her years of rejection for a Writer’s magazine that she was noticed by a literary agent.

ROSA

Evicted from the slums of Gateshead in north-eastern England, Rosa and her family travel to Newcastle where they are reluctantly taken in by her mother’s estranged sister.

Doris Graham is soon to regret this act of kindness as she sees her beautiful home destroyed by the Fenwick family – apart from Rosa, Nancy Fenwick’s illegitimate daughter. Rosa does her best to keep the family under control while dreaming of being a ‘lady’ and living in the big mansion house she can see from her attic bedroom window. Her dreams become more and more obsessive when she meets the son of the new owners of Orchard House and, hardly more than a child, she falls deeply in love with him.

For Richard’s part, his obsession is with the fact that in the mansion is a portrait of a beautiful Italian woman who bears a remarkable resemblance to Rosa. As time passes and Rosa grows into a voluptuous young woman, Richard’s innate snobbishness fades – until he finds her being raped by a lodger of her alcoholic mother.

Rosa’s heart is broken, but she never gives up her dream of owning Orchard House and her life takes many twists and turns before her dream is realized. And then, one day, she finds Richard back in her life, but the tables have turned...

 Amazon UK, reviewer recommendation for Rosa

By Mrs Peta Seel on 24 May 2017

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

A thoroughly good read with a sound story line that rattles along at a good pace with interesting twists and turns that makes one want to turn the page. A good picture of early 20th century British society tied in neatly with historical events of the era. It is easy to get involved with the characters - both good and bad. Recommended.

June Gadsby's personal website

JUNE [Gadsby]

Artist/Writer

www.june-gadsby.fr