Be Kind to Yourself by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/
 

Writers are sometimes hard on themselves when it comes to their writing. As a writer I can be my own worst critic. One moment I think I am writing something great and the next it will seem like the most boring stuff. Sometimes I look at other writer’s books and wish I could write like them.

Over the years I’ve tried to keep to the following rules. These might help any new or experienced writer.

No. One: Remember every writer, whether a best seller or a working-hard-at-becoming-a-best-seller, started their very first book with a blank page.

No. Two: Don’t try to write your novel in one sitting, or one month, or even one year. Give yourself time to enjoy the experience, to change the story line, if need be, as you progress, and to get to know your characters. I attended a romance writing course and the speaker, who wrote for Harlequin, said you should know everything about your main character, even what type of toothpaste she uses.

No. Three: Sometimes, now is not the time to write the book you’re sure will be the next great best seller. Sometimes you need to put in more time learning the craft, like how to write good dialogue, how to flesh out your characters, and how to decide which is the best location to set your story.

No. Four: It is nice to have a set schedule for writing, whether it’s from 5-7am before work, 8-10pm after the children are in bed, but sometimes that won’t always work. Some authors write twenty minutes here and there throughout the day. Some try for two hours Saturday morning and an hour Wednesday evening. Find what works best for you and try to stick to it as best you can.

No. Five: Whatever language you write in, make sure your language skills are up to par. I write in English and all my life I knew that when a person nodded their head, they agreed and when they shook their head they disagreed. In some books I’ve seen where the character shook their head yes and nodded their head for no.

No Six: Try to have a separate space for your writing even if it is a corner in your dining room or bedroom. That way when you are there you know you have replaced you mom or dad hat, or your friend hat, or your working hat with your writing hat.

No. Seven: Back-up your work whether it be on a thumb drive, or the cloud, or even an email to yourself. I’ve read of many writers who have lost whole chapters or multiple chapters due to their computer crashing. Don’t let that happen to you.

No. Eight: Most of all be kind to yourself. Not every word you write is going perfect, not every story your write is going to be a masterpiece. But each time you finish a project you can tell yourself: “You Did it!!Good Job!!”

On Writing Historical Fiction by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE HERE

I was recently asked why I  chose to write historical novels, and I needed to think about the answer. The truth is, I was not too fond of history when I was in school. Other than the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492, dates meant nothing to me. I don’t think I once correctly listed the succession of kings starting with Edward 1. Nor could I tell you the dates of the Wars of the Roses or the Great Fire of London. As for the English Civil War, without resorting to Google, I can only tell you that the combatants were the Parliamentarians, or Roundheads, led by Oliver Cromwell, on one side and the Royalists, or Cavaliers, who supported Charles 1, on the other.

The first historical novel I remember reading was The Sun in Splendour by Jean Plaidy, and, for

Amazon.ca

once, history came alive. After that, I started looking more closely at historical fiction and found that history was not just about dates. It was about people who had lived in different eras, whether they were rich, privileged people at the top of the tree, or the lowly commoner. Catherine Cookson set most of her novels in Northeast England. Georgette Heyer’s characters populated London and wherever their country seats might be, while several had adventures in France or Spain. I enjoyed C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower, who served in His Majesty’s Royal Navy and then the adventures of Bernard Cornwall’s British soldier, Sharpe.  

In writing my historical novels, I have envied colleagues who still have family papers, whether letters or diaries. In my family, very little of our history survives. Thanks to dedicated cousins on my mother’s and father’s sides of my family, I know something of it now. As much as I enjoy research, building family trees was never something I wanted to get into, possibly because of all those dates of births, marriages, and deaths, or hatches, matches and despatches, as my maternal grandmother used to say.

History may seem like a thing of the past, but the truth is we live in history all the time, and what we know today may make dusty reading for some teenagers in the future. While we hark back to the Regency or Victorian eras, more recent histories set during WWII are still popular. I won’t apologize for referencing English history because that is what I know best, but history happens everywhere. Ancient Egypt was the setting for several novels by Pauline Gedge and Wilbur Smith, the latter giving a vivid depiction of South Africa in many more of his novels.

History can be fascinating whether you enjoy it in fiction or non-fiction, movies or television series. Wherever you find it, I hope you enjoy it too.

Victoria Chatham

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Art and Mayhem

 

For those of you unfamiliar with my Two Harbors cozy mysteries, they feature the residents of Whistling Pines Senior residence. The protagonist is the facility recreation director, Peter Rogers. A talented musician, Peter is tasked with providing recreation opportunities for the aging residents. An unwritten portion of his job description is squelching unfounded rumors before they become contentious.

In Whistling Artist, newly released by BWL Publishing, the facility is in an uproar over the removal of a painting by a local artist. The northwoods scene has hung on the wall in Whistling Pines for decades. The artist, a local woman with a remote studio, had specified that the painting couldn't be displayed with a companion piece showing a cabin overlooking Lake Superior, until after her death.

As is the case in many of the small towns featured in my writing, the local residents are distrustful of outsiders and reclusive people. As soon as the painting is removed, rumors start to swirl about the artist's private life. Because the artist never married, rumors swirl about her elderly male patron, her live-in female mentor (who doesn't return from a sabbatical), and the numerous art students she used as models for her paintings.

That's the serious part of the book.

Being a cozy, we don't want to dwell on a serious aspect of the story for too long. As the main plot unwinds, a group of Whistling Pines art students are taking classes from a woman who owns a local art studio. We're unsure if the interest in the class is due to the art classes, the inebriated instructor's tales of her life in France during the '60s, or the liberal amounts of wine dispensed to the art students during the class. When a nude model is recruited, an uproar ensues, led by a group of right-wing religious fanatics. The art studio is picketed, and a news crew arrives to document the protest. There are mixed feelings about the publicity, with the Chamber of Commerce viewing it as an opportunity to advertise an upcoming festival. The police chief defers an interview to the quirky fire chief who'd been called to hose down the protesters.

As usual, things get crazy, in a good way, and the two plots get woven together in a surprise ending that puts many rumors to rest and confirms others.

Check out Whistling Artist at:

Hovey, Dean - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

Unusual and Forbidden Love Stories, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Miss Grey's Shady Lover
Diane Scott Lewis has crafted a witty, short parody that made me titter at the author's pointed euphemisms and veiled sexual overtones. The characterization of Anya and Libidinous is spot-on for the time period. What an amusing romp ensues as this tale unfolds! (warning, quite erotic)
              ~ Angie Just Read for The Romance Reviews

The Defiant Lady Pencavel
"Readers should not take this story too seriously as with every line, Ms Scott Lewis pokes fun at late eighteenth century society and men in general. There is also a cheeky Cornish maid with an over the top accent who adds colour and humour. A very fun romp to help blow the cobwebs away." - Historical Novel Review

Buy HERE

I thought for fun I'd write two parodies, but many didn't understand that they were parodies and I wasn't trying to write serious stories. One on Fifty Shades, set in the 18th c., and the other, also 18th c., is a parody on historical romance novels. I still enjoyed the process.

I like the idea of forbidden love, a shy maid and her arrogant master, and two disparate people, betrothed but totally unsuitable for one another. They both want their freedom for different reasons. Could they ever find love? 

I poke fun at every trope there is.

In my current work in progress, Outcast Artist in Bretagne, I take it to a higher level. It's World War II, and a young Englishwoman-with a tragic secret-is stranded in France after the Germans invade. Her activities, sketching near the coast, brings her under the scrutiny of the German Commandant. 

A strange attraction ensues, an impossible situation, but August von Gottlieb is not the Nazi Norah fears he is. He, too, detests what Hitler is doing to Europe.

On the rocky shores of Brittany, a dangerous liaison develops, two people caught up in war, intrigue, and passion. 

She's shunned and threatened by the villagers. He is in danger of losing his position before he can accomplish what he needs to.

Sabotage, a secret weapon, and forged documents will threaten them and everyone around them in a fight for their lives.

Another tale of forbidden love, set back in history, my favorite genre. Due out in August 2023.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

To find out more about her books: DianeScottLewis 

London here we come...by Sheila Claydon

Find my books here

I always try to tie-in my monthly blog content with one of my books. Admittedly sometimes the link is a bit tenuous but I usually manage it. So what is it this time. Well to discover the detail you will have to read the third book of my When Paths Meet trilogy, Saving Katy Gray. And although all three books stand alone, to truly understand that means reading Mending Jodie's Heart and Finding Bella Blue as well!! Just kidding of course, but there is a link, right at the end of the book when Katy changes her job to something she really wants to do.

How does this tie-in with London? It's because I'll be there soon with my 8 year old granddaughter who, you might remember from a previous post, is staying with me for 3 months while her parents move jobs, home and school from Hong Kong to Singapore. Actually her Dad is here too but working online from my study, so much of of the time it's like having her here on her own.

She has settled in so well it seems as if she was always here even if, sometimes, my energy levels are tested! Online lessons are going well, she has made friends with local children, and the dog is her new best friend. They are inseparable, which is lovely to see but it will be sad for both of them when she eventually leaves for Singapore. Before then, however, we have our visit to London.

First we will be visiting extended family who live close to London, most of whom have never met her. Then it's on the train to central London where we are lucky enough to have access to an apartment for the 5 days we will be there. Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the River Thames, The Tower of London are all factored in. Then there are the museums. For some unaccountable reason my granddaughter wants to visit the War Museum. Then her big cousin, who will spend a day with us wants to take her to the Natural History Museum, and her Mum says we should take her to The British Museum. We want to see a show as well....but what one? What would an 8 year old enjoy best? Mathilda? The Lion King? Aladdin? 

I used to work in London so know it well but I must admit to looking forward to seeing it through the eyes of an eight year old. What will fascinate her, what will she see that the adults in the party will ignore until she starts asking questions? I can feel another book coming on...but not until she is back with her parents in Singapore and I have had a long, long rest:)

London seems to be a theme. Here are two more of my books that are partly set in the city.