But one or two did say creativity did not always lend itself to 9 — 5 hours. But then again, jobs these days don’t either do they. Isn’t it more important a time is spent writing, regardless of actual time. Waiting for your muse, as some put it, is not the way to go, as I’ll explain later. Is it?

I do agree that you have to see it as a job if you’re serious about it. If like me you gave up your day job to do it then you have to. This is why I keep regular hours that suit me and why I make writing my morning job –after the Blog and before I do anything else. Otherwise the other things would take over and the writing would be pushed to later and later in the day. It might not pay yet, but the writing is the reason I do everything else, so it has to come first.I write, therefore I am!

But waiting for your muse, as I have heard people say is just an arty farty excuse for doing something else! It’s a license for procrastination. First of all if you are a writer —  you write because you want to, and even if you don’t one day (we are all human) you sit down at the computer anyway, right? I am here, every day, this is where I am! But like any job we need a break so take one, take a day off. I might need to give myself this advice once in a while! But when I hear the ‘waiting for my muse’ excuse, I think that’s someone who hasn’t committed to it yet, to doing it every day or at least regularly — and I think that is what you have to do if you want to a full-time writer. The mountain won’t come to you, springs to mind.

And make the most of being able to wait for your muse because if you do get signed, then you will have to work to deadlines and have to think of it as a job. But this isn’t like any other job — this is a wonderful creative job where you have the license to escape. How I used to long to do this in the day job — actually I did do it. That’s how they knew I wasn’t really working as I tapped away at the keyboard — I was tapping too furiously and smiling too much! I got into trouble so many times I think they had to rewrite the company rule book — Do not write fiction in work time! If they didn’t add that, they should! I did anyway, only I sent myself emails with ideas when no one was watching and tried not to smile!  When I had work open on the screen I had that tapping pencil to the head, let me think expression while I actually worked out a plot point and not how to troubleshoot a defective diagnostic kit. Only sometimes.

That’s how I knew I needed to be doing it full-time.

And now I am!

Those agents I ‘virtually’ eavesdropped on were right — you do have to think of it as a job and give it the time. Don’t wait for the muse, grab it with both hands.

As I am about to do!

The success is coming … do you feel it?

In The Spotlight this week welcome the talented author Amanda James

I first met Mandy (I can’t think of her as Amanda!) when she wrote a wonderful story for our Gentle Footprints collection and she came to the Hay Festival for its launch, met Virginia McKenna and she was one of the ones who was selected to give a reading at the launch, an event in the largest venue with over 1000 people. I was told that ‘unknown’ writers don’t get to give readings at Hay. I pushed Paul Blezzard on that — why not? And he finally conceded, so she was one of the three lucky writers who did. And anyway, she isn’t unknown now, and has just released her second novel …

So over to you Mandy, welcome …

Hello my name is Mandy James (often found as Amanda James) and I am a writer. I left teaching about eight months ago to write full-time.

Have you always wanted to be a published writer? Tell us something about your path to having your first novel published. Have you had other things published first?

Yes I think I did, but I never really expected to be one.  I always wrote short stories and poems and when I was eight, I pestered my parents to buy me a Petite typewriter for Christmas. I loved it and felt very grown up as I typed away writing the new bestsellers!  I was very good at English and History at school, but apart from that I frittered my time away in other classes. As a consequence I kind of drifted and left school at sixteen. I went into hairdressing, married at eighteen and had my daughter at nineteen.

A long and very winding road took me back to college and then university.  After that I eventually went into teaching for seventeen years.  But all through my life I never stopped writing. As a teenager I took comfort from my poems during the ‘angst’ years that all youngsters go through, and I wrote short stories and a children’s story too. In 2002 I wrote my first novel and the next soon after.  It was hard fitting it all in around lesson prep, marking etc, but I felt I just needed to write.

I had my first short story published in 2010, thanks to the very lovely Debz Hobbs-Wyatt who selected me from many submissions to the Bridge House Publishing Gentle Footprints Anthology. For that I will be eternally grateful because I am convinced that having my story – All Things Under The Sky published, stood me in good stead for further publications. So thanks for believing in me, Debz!  I then went on to have eight short stories published in various other anthologies.

I had my novel Righteous Exposure published (e-book only) by Crooked Cat Publishing in February last year. And I am soon to have my first paperback A Stitch in Time published by Choc Lit in April this year!

Do you have an agent? If not did you try to get one? Any advice about that?

I don’t have an agent but did try many times to secure one over the years. I once had the same novel requested by four separate agents but in the end all decided to pass. That was very frustrating, not to say soul destroying! I think it isn’t always necessary to have an agent to do well nowadays. A good publisher can be just as effective and I am very lucky to have signed with Choc Lit.

Do you belong to a writing group? Crit group? Have you had someone professionally critique your novel before submitting or publishing?

I don’t belong to a writing group but I did have a marvellous editor, Maureen Vincent-Northam to do the critique on both my published novels. She is brilliant and never imposes her ideas – just makes suggestions. I have heard horror stories from others about editors who actually put their own words in the ms without asking and worse! Maureen in my opinion is perfect.

Tell us about the new novel 

A Stitch in Time  is essentially about Sarah Yates, a time-travelling history teacher. (Yes, really!) It has more than a touch of romantic comedy, but serious issues are touched on also. Sarah is disillusioned with her job and recently divorced. Her husband left her for her best friend and as a consequence she is very wary of committing to anyone else as she was broken apart by their betrayal. However, when mysterious and very lovely John Needler arrives on the scene and asks her to travel through time to save the lives of others, she is more than a little attracted to him. Sarah finds new purpose in trying to help people in the past find their happy endings. The big question is – will she ever be able to find hers?

 http://www.choc-lit.co.uk/html/a_stitch_in_time.html

What next? Tell us about work in progress …

I have one or two on the go! The one I worked most recently on is called Exactly Like You. It’s about twins separated at birth and what happens when they meet up again twenty-five years later. The two girls, Cally and Leona have had very different lives. Cally works in a supermarket while Leona works as a supermodel. Leona is very forthright, self-assured and has more than an eye on Cally’s boyfriend, the gorgeous Marco, while Cally is shy and under confident. Hmm. Let’s just say it’s not all plain sailing when the girls embark upon on their new relationship.

Any advice for writers who are trying to get their work published?

Never give up and never forget your dreams. If you do, you’re sunk. It can be soul destroying to keep getting rejected, but you need to roll with the punches, lick your wounds, listen to advice and come back stronger.  There have been times in the past when I have thought I’d never make it as a writer, but something wouldn’t let me give up. You must have that determination, particularly today I think. And crucially, make sure you have wine and chocolate!

Tell us something random about you for the pure hell of it

I love curry, I can ride a horse, my favourite places are California, Monument Valley and Cornwall. Random enough for you?  (Oh yes says Debz, who hates curry but can also ride a horse and loves California! … sorry not my interview!)

And thank you so much for having me, Debz!   You are most welcome

Finally: can we post an extract of your novel to tempt our readers …

Here is an excerpt from chapter two …

  A Stitch in Time

The sound of the door clunking shut behind her, the cool touch of the hall tiles underfoot, and the lingering aroma of last night’s curry, signalled she was home at last; another school day from hell was over.

Sarah wriggled her toes a little more on the smooth surface, and then dropped her sweaty shoes into the basket at the bottom of the stairs. Holding her aching back, she bent over, picked up the mail from the mat and flicked through the pile. Crap, crap and more crap. Never mind about the decimation of the rainforests, the two-for-one garden gnome offer at Paradise Garden Centre is much more important…

Bing-bong!  She jumped as the doorbell chimed. Sarah rolled her eyes. Who the hell is this, now?

She sneaked into the living room and peeped through the blinds. It was damn near wine o’clock, and after the day she’d had, if it wasn’t Johnny Depp out there, she wasn’t interested.

Sarah could see that the caller was male, dark-haired, tall and suited. He had his back turned to her, and was tapping a clipboard on the side of his leg. Nope, not Johnny Depp, probably a time-waster, so he could bugger off.

Just as she was closing the gap in the blind, the man turned and spotted her. He smiled, raised his clipboard and waved hello with his pen.

Bugger … I’ll have to open the dammed door now!

‘Hello,’ she said, opening the front door slightly, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve just got in. I’ve lots to do, so I haven’t got time to buy anything.’

‘Well, that’s alright then, because time is my business,’ he said.

Sarah noted that even though he wasn’t Johnny Depp, he wasn’t half-bad. He looked to be about thirty-five, had gorgeous sea-green eyes, a long aquiline nose and a full sensuous mouth. The mouth was curling at the edges in a slow smile.

She sighed. Never mind his smile, Sarah, he’s a time waster, get rid of him. ‘As I said, I am really busy, and as you have just said, time is your business. Timeshares I expect, so I really must … ’

‘I’m really not selling anything.’ He placed the pen between a set of perfect teeth, lowered his eyes and traced his finger down the pages on his clipboard.

‘Well, I don’t mean to be rude, but I must go,’ Sarah said, already starting to close the door. What she needed was a big glass of red and her feet up.

He looked up from his board and smiled again. ‘I think you do mean to be rude, actually. Don’t worry, I just need to go over a few instructions with you. You have a huge task to complete, and we need to make sure you know exactly what’s going to happen.’ He took a step towards her.

Sarah immediately slammed the door in his face. Who the bloody hell did he think he was, completely ignoring her? He was obviously a complete fruit-loop, handsome, but a fruit-loop nonetheless. A task to complete; now that was a new one.

Marching into the kitchen, she grabbed a wineglass from the cupboard and poured a big glug of red. Now, a comfy sofa and mind-numbing rubbish on the TV beckoned. Taking a mouthful of wine she walked into the living room, and nearly spat it out again. The fruit-loop was sitting casually on her sofa, grinning from ear to ear.

‘Ooh, have you got a glass for me, Sarah? I could murder one.’

Managing to swallow the wine, she backed towards the door, gasping, ‘How the hell did you get in here, and how do you know my name?’ Frantically, she tried to remember where she’d put her mobile; was it still in her school bag?

Fruit-loop held up his hands. ‘Hey, sorry, don’t be afraid, asking for wine was crass of me. You must be freaked out. Look, I promise I’m not here to hurt you.’

Sarah inched out into the hall. Even if she could put her hand on the damned phone, she probably wouldn’t have time to dial 999. No, the best solution was to make a run for it. She set down her wineglass on the hall table and turned for the front door …  only to see fruit-loop standing in front of it.

She felt the floor come up to meet her, and leaned heavily against the wall. This was impossible; he was sitting on her sofa in the living room, wasn’t he? ‘How the …?’ He held up his hands again, silencing her. ‘I told you, time is my business.’ He shrugged. ‘I can make it stop, go forward and back, but only for a short while, otherwise the dimensions get mucked up. I would certainly get into big trouble with the powers that be too, but we’ll talk about that another time; there’s enough for you to take in at the moment, as it is.

‘Anyway, suffice to say that I stopped time, walked round you, here in the hall, and then started it again. Same way I got in here, too. Now, we really must get down to business. I am not here to hurt you, I repeat not here to hurt you, Sarah. My name’s John, by the way.’

John walked towards her, gesturing that she should return to the living-room. Sarah led the way on shaky legs and then sank down into her armchair. She figured that the fallout from the Neil and Karen trauma and her stressful job had, at last, pushed her over the edge. Lots of her teacher friends had breakdowns … this must be her turn. Actually, now that it had happened, she felt relieved really …

‘So,’ John’s voice broke into her thoughts. ‘Sarah Yates, thirty-four, divorced.’ He looked at his clipboard. ‘No children, history teacher at Grangeworthy High, stressed, disillusioned with the way teaching is going, though not with the subject of history, and not with most children, just the minority who eat you alive. The latest bane of your life is Danny Jakes of 9CM, who told you recently to “stick your detention up your fat arse!”’

John, now seated on her sofa, pulled a face of sympathy across the room, flicked over the page of notes and continued. ‘Err … husband ran off with best friend, they now have a child, you despise them both, especially him, because you gave him the best years of your life, and now think that your chance for kids has passed. You desperately wanted a child but your ex always put you off, always found some kind of excuse.’ An even more sympathetic look found a home on John’s face. ‘Dear, oh dear.’ He placed the clipboard down and looked across at her again. ‘Now, I have got the right, Sarah Yates, haven’t I?’

Sarah wished that he hadn’t, but sadly he had described her life in a nutshell. Neil had indeed left with Karen about eighteen months ago now. It had been a drunken one-night stand apparently; the pregnancy had come as a terrible shock. They hadn’t planned to keep the child, but then time went by and Karen found it impossible to have a termination. They started getting used to the idea, and Neil insisted on providing financial support, hence the trip to Mothercare.

Then, when Sarah had found out and everything was in the open, Neil and Karen had decided to make a go of it. So, it was Sarah’s fault really – how nice for them to have it all magically and neatly resolved like that.

It was old news, but the pain was still as fresh as a daisy on a spring morning. Hearing the facts read out like a shopping list, even though John seemed sorry for her, did not help. The pity of strangers … wasn’t that a poem, perhaps a film? She should audition for the lead role. Sarah sighed and rubbed her eyes.

‘Yes … yes that’s me, unfortunately. Now, you need to disappear because I’m suddenly feeling very weary. I’ll make an appointment with my GP in the morning, but for now, I just want to sleep.’

‘GP, why?’

‘To get some antidepressants or something for this breakdown I’m having.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m obviously talking to a hallucination.’

John threw back his head and laughed. ‘No, Sarah, I’m as real as you. It’s normal to feel shell-shocked, but you’ll get over it quite quickly, people usually do.’

‘So, I’m not having a breakdown?’

‘Not as far as I know … look, I am what’s known as a Time-Needle. It’s something you’re born into and can’t do anything about. My dad was a Time-Needle until his retirement a few years ago and so was his father. Our job is to sew together holes that have opened up in time with a stitch. If they remain open, people will die. I find stitches in time and you’re a stitch.’

Sarah looked at him opened-mouthed for a few moments, and then, springing up, she wagged a finger at him. ‘OK, that’s it, and that’s all! I need a drink!’

She shot out. John followed her to the kitchen. He watched, frowning, as she pulled a wineglass from the cupboard and picked up the bottle, all the while muttering under her breath.

‘Err … you have a glass out here in the hall already,’ he said, going to the hall and returning with the glass.

‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry, I forgot. How silly of me, I mean I am behaving perfectly normally, aren’t I? Talking to a Time-Lord, Needle, or whatever the hell you are, listening to stories of sewing holes together in time, and what was the last thing?’ she said, knocking back the wine in one gulp. ‘Oh, yes, I’m a stitch … yup, perfectly normal!’ She poured more wine and glared at him.

‘Oh dear, you really need to calm down a bit, Sarah. Do you mind if I have this one?’ John asked, holding up the wineglass.

Sarah shrugged and stared out of the window. This was worse than she had initially feared. Not only was she having a full-blown breakdown, she couldn’t make the damned hallucination stop. Her mind was totally out of control!

She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, counted to three, and snapped her eyes open. No, he was still there, sipping her wine as if he was real! Her addled mind had conjured up a gorgeous guy and called him John. Johnny was apparently too obvious. God, how sad was she? Sipping her wine, she decided that the best thing to do was go with the flow. If I play along, show myself … my mind, that I’m not scared; perhaps the stress will go away … and with it, the hallucination. And anyway, what choice do I have?

Copyright Amanda James 2013, Choc Lit and reproduced with kind permission of the publisher

The books is available currently as a new release eBook and the paperback is on pre-order  released soon … I plan to order a paperback.

Here are the links: AMAZON

Mandy’s other novel : eBook

Gentle Footprints AMAZON (as we mentioned it!) BTW there isn’t an audio book, that’s an error on the page!

Thanks so much for being In The spotlight Mandy and we wish you all the best, I saw the book get pretty high in the charts this weekend!

Buy Me

Follow Mandy on her Facebook Author Page

Next week In The Spotlight the talented paranormal novelist Catherine Green

Lutishia Lovely

Kensington Dafina, Feb 26 2013, $15.00

ISBN: 9780758286628

Dr. Gabriel Livingston loves classical music while his wife Frieda Moore-Livingston appreciates rap.  Both know she has come a long way from her street life.  However, Frieda may have stepped too far when his namesake looks more like one of her flings than her spouse.

Residing on beach front property with their two kids in La Jolla, Cyclone and Hope Taylor seem the perfect couple as their marriage is built on love and trust.  However, his college girlfriend arrives with a request that challenges their faith in one another.

Singer Darius and his manager Bo Crenshaw combine a successful professional life with their nice personal life that includes his son he had with former groupie Stacy Grayson.  All seems perfect until Paz enters theirs lives.

Stacy wed NFL player Tony Johnson in what has been a wonderful life.  However a severe knee injury leaves his football career in jeopardy and perhaps their marriage as this surly man is no longer the kind caring person she married three years ago.

The latest Hallelujah Love relationship drama stars four couples dealing with tsuris (in several cases self-destruction) threatening their idyllic relationships.  Character driven with rotating leads, the key is that the ensemble cast seems real as each must learn to deal not just with the good, but the bad and the ugly while turning to the Lord for spiritual guidance. 

Harriet Klausner

Kelli London

Kensington Dafina KTEEN, Feb 26 2013, $9.95

ISBN: 9780758286970

After Charly’s Epic Fiascos tossing out the lemons rather than making lemonade in Nuevo York, the Illinois expatriate continues her odyssey to make the big time.  She gets a slot as the faithful sidekick to former child star Annison’s hostess role on The Extreme Dream Team traveling reality show.  Besides the divas and the crew, Charly brings Marlow 2 to act as “Robin” the sidekick to Annison’s teacup sized poodle “Batman” Doll.

On the cross country trek to Southern California, Charly meets people in need but they teach her valuable lessons on what matters in life as she seems to step into one fiasco after another.  In Los Angeles, Charly knows real reality is a lot tougher to cope with than reality TV as toilets don’t wait for the next show.

Reality Check is a zany teen road show starring a wonderful heroine whose amusing wry philosophical asides satirize homilies while she seems to step into one fiasco after another.  Breezy fun, readers will enjoy Charly’s latest fiascos across the country and in “It never rains in California … man it pours” (Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood); as she makes a Reality Check on what matters on and off the air.

Harriet Klausner

In The Spotlight Author Patsy Collins

This week I’d like to welcome Patsy who regularly comments on my Blog. I first ‘met’ Patsy, in a virtual sense through CafeLit that many of you know I am the editor for and I’ve selected a few of her stories for that, including The Best of  as well. I have since followed her successes as a novelist — so I am delighted to welcome to her to the spotlight …

So tell us about yourself, Patsy … 

I’m a wife, gardener, cook, photographer and writer. (The ones starting with w are the most important.)

For the last few years I’ve been a tour guide on HMS Victory. I’ve just been made redundant though so this summer I’ll mostly be writing and travelling with my husband in our campervan. (He’s a freelance photographer)

Have you always wanted to be a published writer? Tell us something about your path to having your first novel published. Have you had other things published first?

 It wasn’t a particular ambition until I started creative writing classes in 2002 (which I did almost by accident!) The brilliant teacher ‘strongly encouraged’ us to submit our work. After a generous amount of rejection letters I had two short stories accepted in the same week. One was published in The Lady the other in The Weekly News. For a couple of days I bounced around the house as though my parents had been Zebedee and a kangaroo. It still makes me smile to remember how I felt. It was a while before I had another acceptance but I was hooked by then.

I’d had around 150 short stories published by the time I entered my novel Escape to the Country in a competition. It won and was therefore published.

Do you have an agent? If not did you try to get one? Any advice about that?

Initially I did try to get an agent – with no luck at all. Having never had an agent I can’t advise whether or not it would be better to have one.

Do you belong to a writing group? Crit group? Have you had someone professionally critique your novel before submitting or publishing? How was that/? Would you do it again?

I belong to a small ‘real life’ writing group. Mostly we chat and encourage each other. I also belong to a couple of online writing groups and several members of these help with critiquing and I do the same for them.

I’ve not had professional critiquing but have paid for my self published novels to be proofread. I will definitely do that if I self publish again. Very few people would be happy to read a book full of typos, grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and even fewer writers are able to spot all their own errors.

Did you have your book accepted by a traditional publisher or choose self-publishing? If self-publishing, tell us about that choice, why you made it.

I’ve self published A Year and a Day. I did it that way because I’d done OK with a previous self published novel, Paint Me a Picture. I took the decision to self publish that one because the book didn’t fit into any genre so was hard to pitch to agents and publishers.

 What was the editing process like and how long did it take? Did you work with an editor? If you chose self-publishing can you tell us who you used and what the process involved. Would you do it again?

Editing A Year and a Day was done in several stages after excellent feedback from my critique buddies. It probably took two years from the start of the first draft until it was ready for proofreading (I also wrote shorts during that time)

For the proofreading I emailed off the document (to Helen Baggott) and she returned it after about a week with all the errors highlighted and appropriate notes and suggestions made. As a result I did some very minor rewriting and lots of typo correcting.

My husband designed the cover. He’s good at that kind of thing.

Uploading an ebook to Amazon is pretty easy as long as you follow the instructions. I might do it again but I’m not ruling out the possibility of trying the traditional route next time.

How much marketing have you had to do and how have book sales been? 

I’ve done pretty much all the marketing, even with the first novel that was published for me. I think it’s now common for new authors, even traditionally published ones, to be largely responsible for this.

My publisher organised a book signing for the first one (which was quite successful). For each book I’ve given local radio interviews, visited blogs, attempted to get mentions in local (and national) publications with limited success, and promoted via social media.

Sales haven’t been huge. I didn’t expect them to be as I’m still almost unknown. I’ve had good reviews though and encouraging feedback. My hope is that those who like my books will tell others. That seems to be happening. ‘Word of mouth’ can be very effective but it does take time. It’s still less than a year since my first novel was published, so I’m hopeful of further sales.

Tell us about the latest novel …

A Year and a Day is a romance. It starts when two friends have their fortune told. Stella is very sceptical and refuses to follow the path laid out for her, at least at first. Daphne is totally convinced by the gypsy’s prophecy and follows it faithfully.

Their respective behaviours see them loving, or carefully not loving, the tall, dark handsome Italian restaurant owner, Luigi. Neither tactic goes to plan. The gypsy’s mentions of job changes, a journey across water, one girl saving the other’s life and the promise of a happy family have equally mixed results.

Luckily John, Daphne’s irritating brother, is there to help them out of their worst scrapes and Thirteen, the black cat, is no trouble at all.

There’s food, flowers, cocktails, shoes, policemen, sexy Italian accents, danger, love and laughter before they find out if the gypsy was telling them the truth.

It’s available from Amazon as an ebook. AMAZON

(note from Debz — do check out Patsy’s other books here: LINKS)

What next? Tell us about work in progress and aspirations.  Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

I’m currently working on another romance about a photographer with a campervan. It’s not going to be autobiographical in any way, but I will be researching it thoroughly!

My aim is to continue writing short stories and novels. I’d love to run writing workshops too. Once I’ve left the day job I’ll have time to do that. If you’d like me to visit your writing group (and there’s room to park a campervan outside) let me know!

Any advice for writers who are trying to get their work published?

Keep trying. It’s not easy but it is possible. All published writers were once unpublished writers.

Tell us something random about you for the pure hell of it

I once flogged an American Admiral (called Chuck if I remember correctly) with a cat o’ nine tails. I haven’t yet worked that into any of my stories …

Finally: can we post an extract of your novel?

Yes, here’s an extract from quite near the beginning.

Stella was glad to put down the panther when they got back to Daphne’s flat.

           “I’m sure my arms must be a good couple of inches longer.”

           “He can’t be heavier than the curry and wine. I suppose it is a he?” Daphne said as she set plates on the table.

           “He is. I bet he is heavier and he’s bigger and I have been carrying him for loads longer and I’m weak with hunger.”

           “I’m working as fast as I can,” Daphne said, removing lids from the foil containers. “What are you going to call him?”

           “Thirteen.”

           “Thirteen! You can’t; it’s unlucky.”   

            “No it’s not, it’s just a number. Actually in this case it’s a date; the thirteenth of July and as I won him today, that makes it lucky. Plus as he’s named after a date that means I’ll always have a date to snuggle up with.”

           “OK, you’ve convinced me.” Daphne’s expression suggested she was simply convinced there was no point arguing rather than that she agreed but at least she returned her attention to a far more important issue: curry.

           While Daphne unpacked the food and garnished it with chopped coriander. Stella selected a CD from Daphne’s collection. They ate the tasty meal and discussed every detail of the fortunes they’d been given. Almost every detail; Stella didn’t want to spoil Daphne’s enjoyment by mentioning the bit about family sadness. As Rosie-Lee said, it was all in the past.

           Once they’d eaten, Stella insisted they do everything properly by listening to The Searchers singing Love Potion Number Nine before lighting a candle, dimming the lights, laying the envelope face down on the table and pouring more wine.

           Daphne proposed a toast. “To the future.”

           “The future,” Stella agreed. She sipped her wine. “It’s looking Rosé-er already.”

Copyright Patsy Collins, an extract from A Year and a Day  Reproduced with kind permission of the author

Feel free to add anything else you want to say!!!

As well as my novels you can also buy many of my short stories. These are available from Alfie Dog (39p each). To give you a taster I’m also offering a collection of stories for free from smashwords.

Smashwords

Alfie Dog

I keep a blog. It’s mostly about writing and includes lots of links to free to enter writing competitions, but other random stuff does sneak in sometimes. Patsy’s Blog

Buy me

Thanks so much Patsy for sharing your journey and we wish you many future successes!

Next week we welcome to the spotlight author Mandy James to tell us all about her new novel

Sophie Littlefield

Mira, Feb 26 2013, $14.95

ISBN 9780778313526 

In 1978 San Francisco, someone murders fifty-nine year old Reginald Forrest in his office near his gym in the basement of the De Soto Hotel.  SFPD Inspector Torre visits Forrest’s acquaintance Lucy Takeda as a witness placed someone who looks like her with her pink scarred face at the gym when the murder occurred.  Lucy admits knowing the victim over three decades ago.

Lucy tells her upset daughter Patty about what happened to her when she was fourteen and to her mom Miyako.  Her father just died when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.  Japanese Americans were taken to internment camps.  Mother and daughter went to Manzanar Relocation Camp run by ruthless George Rickenbocker, who rapes and impregnates Miyako.  When he targeted Lucy, a distraught Miyako scarred her daughter’s beautiful face to try to keep the guards from raping her child.  She then kills Rickenbocker and herself.

Rotating between the 1978 mystery and the WWII internment in the California desert, Garden of Stones is a deep historical that shines a timely spotlight on a dark period in American history; the terrible mistreatment of American citizens rationalized by homeland security needs.  The three generations of Takeda women are fully developed with Lucy connecting family and eras.  Although Rickenbocker is stereotyped as a ruthless individual, he also brings a belief that the interred are not real Americans so are subject to abuse.  Readers will relish this profound storyline as one must “Never Forget” the heritage horrors caused by “Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one” (Benjamin Franklin).

Harriet Klausner

Susan Mallery

Mira, Feb 26 2013, $14.95

ISBN: 9780778314349

Besides humiliation and pain of standing alone at the altar in front of 300 friends and family including both moms, Andi Gordon is also left paying the bills and returning the gifts.  Thus three months later, Andi decides she needs a major makeover so buys one of the Queen Anne historical “Three Sisters” houses on Blackberry Island in Puget Sound with plans to open up a pediatric practice in her new home.

She meets her neighbor artist Boston King, whose husband Zeke she already met.  Boston and Zeke struggle to move on after the death of their baby, but increasingly they appear to be moving on separately.  

Also residing in one of the Three Sisters’ homes are Deanna Phillips, her husband Colin and their five daughters.  Deanna fears Colin is having an affair.  When she confronts him, he confesses but blames her; sadly she agrees with him.

The return to Blackberry Island (see Barefoot Season) focuses on three women with emotional issues bonding like the Three Musketeers with each believing in “All for one, one for all” mantra; as the trio knows they have “sisters” who have their back during their personal crisis.  The ensemble cast is fully developed due in part to the rotating storyline and mostly because of the “Three Sisters” sharing their tsuris with each other and readers.

Harriet Klausner

Welcome to another exciting week What will it bring?

Lots of smiles we hope!

I want to be brief (ish) this morning as I am keen to plunge head first into the climactic last chapters of  I Am Wolf  which once again is threatening to be more than 100K, probably closer to 115K and will need some pruning with the second big edit. Aim = 90K. But that’s how it should be. Get it down and then shape it into sharpness.

One of the things lately that I seem to be saying to writers a lot is SHOW don’t TELL. Yes it has had many appearances on this page and it seems to the thing that needs the most explaining. I don’t plan to revisit the nuts and bolts with this post, the nitty-gritty of narrative showing rather than telling, but more in how we need to show through what’s not said. And the word is of course SUBTEXT.

There are a few definitions of subtext. A common one is ‘the underlying or implicit meaning of a literary work’. This can be deep and if writers are trying to be too clever with subtle symbolism and almost imperceptible leitmotifs  (recurring themes) these might be lost. It’s all about balance. How learned are you and how hard do you want your reader to work?

I usually describe subtext as being what’s not said (as in not overtly stated anyway); it requires the reader to look for the clues. And again body language will come into this.  Think of it as what happens in the gap between what’s known and what’s not known. The clues will be there and that’s down to the skill of the writer.

I would also say there is the subtext in what a character is saying and what he is doing, there may be discrepancies that are more to do with the characterisation, and there will be the deeper underlying subtext that relates to the theme of the piece as a whole, the underlying heart beat. But of course in essence these would be the same — what drives or motivates a  character’s actions will be a form of statement of theme — even if whispered so quietly it’s a soft hint.

What lurks between the lines of your current work in progress? Or indeed the book you’re currently reading?

Think layers — they need to be there to give meaning to your writing. And they probably are there, even if you don’t think they are — they come from the subconscious. Spooky … and thinking of spooky … see the cover below …

In The Spotlight tomorrow the lovely author Patsy Collins

Have a wonderful week everyone!

For Catherine who mentioned how much she liked this BHP cover. Me too! This is another one by my talented brother Justin Wyatt

Alison Singh Gee

St. Martin’s Press, Feb 19 2013, $25.99

ISBN: 9780312378783

Alison Gee lived the good life as an American journalist based in Hong Kong writing for the top magazines.  Though dedicated to her work, she also enjoyed the best that Beverly Hills, Hong King and other locales offered.  However, her self-perceived perfect lifestyle crashes when Alison meets Indian reporter Ajay Singh.  Falling in love, he takes her to meet his royal family living in a dilapidated historical palace Mokimpur in the rural village with the same name.  As his family doubts that a Southern California American “princess” has the grip to be their Ajay’s mate, she wonders also especially dealing with the plumbing.  This is a terrific memoir that looks deep into what a family and a home are; made interesting by Alison Singh Gee’s ability to blend humor and seriousness into an enjoyable read.  The road to the so “happily ever after” ending leads to Ms. Gee feeling bipolar with highs and lows; and readers to wonder whether his family is right that an American (even one in love) cannot slow down long enough to enjoy the peacocks singing.

Harriet Klausner

Washington farmland

So here is my part of the challenge: several questions about my latest book, The Last Good Summer.

1. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Believe it or not, it came from an improv session with a very talented presenter, Mary Jane Pories, who had us conjure up a character, and then become that person. Mine was Will Thompson, a seventy-something farmer in Washington state. My personal memories of growing up on a farm in small-town rural Washington helped a great deal with details of country life and quirky personalities.

2. What genre does your book fall under?

I think it would be considered literary fiction.

3. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

That’s a tough one. I have such distinct images in my mind as to what Will Thompson and Romy Smithfield look like that it would be a hard call.

4. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A terminal brain tumor prompts a young woman to start over by moving west, where she becomes a catalyst in the lives of several unique characters living in a small town and forms relationships she never dreamed she’d have.

5. Will your book be self-published, or represented by an agency?

I’m hoping to obtain representation for the novel. Self-publishing might be an alternative down the road if my book isn’t picked up by an agent.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About six months for the original draft, but several months beyond that to get it to a place where I feel it is nearly ready.

7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Since the story is mainly character driven, I’d hope to be compared to Lee Martin, though his stories are much darker and more complex than mine. His stories are set, for the most part, in midwestern farm country, a similar setting to that of Washington.

8. Who or what inspired you to write this story?

I think it was a combination of the character development done through Mary Jane’s workshop and the title, which was suggested by my friend Marcia Veldman. The story grew out of those two things.

9. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The story is set in the 1970′s and will be relatable for those who lived in that era. Many people who have either lived on a farm or had relatives who owned one will appreciate the landscape I’ve built into the story. It’s a real-life kind of plot with a bitter-sweet ending, but that’s life, isn’t it?

Wow, Joe, this was quite a challenge! Next on the agenda are:

Cristina Van Wieren, who is writing a YA book about a young person trying to adapt to gender confusion. Her honest, yet tender handling of a difficult subject will help parents understand their struggling child, and will hopefully create more tolerance in middle school settings.

Sarah Schmitt, a talented writer whose stories lend themselves to the world of magic and are geared to the YA audience. Lots of twists and turns in the series she’s working on. No one falls asleep on Sarah’s watch!

Andrea Dunn-Sosa, whose book, Connected, is still in the working stages but addresses the premise of how each person’s action can have an effect on another and can change the course of that person’s life, either for good or ill. It reminds me of that six degrees of separation theory, and is reminiscent of Olive Kittridge.

Holly Goddard Jones

Touchstone, Feb 12 2013, $24.99

ISBN: 9781451683363

In 1993 in Roma, Kentucky, Ronnie Eastman vanishes.  No one blinks; as the townsfolk expected no less of troubled Ronnie addicted to drugs, alcohol and sex.  The one exception is Ronnie’s married “Sister” with a young daughter Abby, middle school teacher Susanna Mitchell who wants to know what happened to her sibling.  She detests the holier than thou attitude of Pendleton the cop, friends and family including her school band leader Dale.  All assumes Ronnie got what she deserved.

Thirteen-year-old loner Emily Houchens prefers role playing in the woods rather than friends.  When she stumbles across a corpse, Emily decides to tell no one.  Near retirement mechanic Wyatt Powell knows what it is like to be an outsider, but recently fell in love though he feels underserving.  Finally Tony the black police detective, who dreamed of playing in the majors, returns to Roma after being away briefly; he investigates the disappearance of Ronnie.

Although ostensibly a mystery re what happened to Ronnie; The Next Time You See Me is more a deep look into the powerful force of what happened to Ronnie on people impacted by her disappearance.  The key to this entertaining fresh suspense is that the prime characters are fully developed with each having doubts about the lives they live.  Readers will enjoy Holly Goddard Jones’ engaging tale of the profound effect on the intertwining relationships when the dynamics change as the gap caused by deletion must be refilled by something or someone.

Harriet Klausner

Susan McBride

Morrow, Feb 12 2013, $14.99

ISBN 9780062027283

 In 2010 inWalnut Ridge, Missouri, single mom fiftyish Gretchen Brink lives on her family farm with her blind twin sisters when a tornado rips through the property.  After the storm leaves, Gretchen goes outside to investigate the damage.  She sees nuts on the ground near a fallen walnut tree that has not been fruitful in years.  However, Gretchen has no time for the nutty mystery as underneath the tree is a man who sort of looks familiar. 

Fearing her forty-year lie will be exposed, Gretchen wonders whether the man suffering from amnesia could be the love of her life Sam Winston who vanished in Africa four decades ago.  Meanwhile her fortyish daughter Abby comes home pregnant and single; believing that she finally meets her biological father.

Rotating between different eras, Susan McBride provides a warm drama that focuses on how even a little white lie can have a snowball running down a hill gathering mass effect and what a family truly is.  Although amnesia is an over used device, readers will root for the likable fully developed cast who are on the brink of either disillusioned dissolution or beautiful bonding.

Harriet Klausner

Carrie Cecil

Howard/Simon and Schuster, Feb 12 2013, $14.99

ISBN: 9781451664768

Ambitious thirty-something Alice Ferguson felt she was on top of the world as with her gay business partner Amos, she edits a trashy tabloid and runs the Trashville Hollywood gossip website that consistently has her flying cross country.   She recently met in Bel Air and soon married Dr. Burton Bannister II, the father of the child she carries.

However, her pregnancy proves difficult with health problems threatening her and her unborn.  Alice gives up her stressful career and leaves Southern California for the Nashville area.  There she feels like a fish on dry land living in suburban jail amidst the idle housewives.  Adding to her frustration is realizing that Amos is doing a great job running Trashville without her.  Retired NFL lineman Pastor Tim Jackson, his wife LaChelle and their two daughters are her only friends as Alice feels more like a squatter than a neighbor.  However, Tim and LaChelle gently persuade the mocking doubter to show up One Sunday at their church.

Alice is a fascinating protagonist as she gives up the fast lane and what she believes is her identity to live as an outsider in the Deep South Bible Belt.  Initially the coastal heathen makes no efforts to belong.  Her long journey of redemption and forgiveness (of one’s self) make for a warm, at times amusing (especially Alice’s wry commentary) inspirational Christian tale.

Harriet Klausner

John Shors

NAL, Feb 5 2013, $16.00

ISBN: 9780451239174

In 1177 King Indravarman leads his vast invading Chams army as they attack Angkor in a bloody assault.  Khmer Prince Jayavar and his number one wife Ajadevi flee into the jungle as the Cham horde devastate his overwhelmed people.

Now the king with the death of his father, Jayavar recruits thousands of troops like the fishing family of Boran, Soriya and their sons Vibol and Prak, who have witnessed the atrocities.  Jayavar knows he has nowhere near the number of soldiers that the Cham claims, even fewer experienced warriors compared to their vicious adversaries; and they also lack the equipment.  Indravarman’s top-level advisor Asal meets and falls in love with Khmer prisoner Voisanne.  She opens his mind to the genocide and reminds him of what he prefers forgotten with the horrors he witnessed first-hand as a youth.  Knowing the monarch will torture them until they die; Asal and Voisanne flee the Chams to join the Khmer resistance.

This is a profound rare look at twelfth century Cambodia as readers learn much about the Middle Age Buddhist and Hindu spiritualism and the Khmer culture; symbolized by the Angkor Wat complex.  However that historical insight also tends to slow down the storyline with incredible layers of Eastern philosophical and religious depth.  Fans who prefer intense passive societal deepness at the cost of action will enjoy John Shor’s perceptive look at Angkor a half of century before Thomas Aquinas’ writings.

Harriet Klausner

Tosca Lee

Simon &Schuster/Howard, Feb 5 2013, $22.99

ISBN 9781451683769

With the death of King Herod, Jerusalem turns into a deadly tinderbox as revolutionaries take down the Eagle.  However, soldiers go after those who defiled the Eagle.  Six year old Judas flees with his family to Galilee as his Father was one of the conspirators. While nearing Sepphoris, they learn thousands of their Father’s compatriots were slaughtered by the new king Archelaus at the Temple.  Rebellion explodes across the kingdom, but is put down with Judas’ Father dying on a Roman cross.  The child vows to never follow his Father’s fate.

Judas becomes a Zealot studying the Torah.  When he meets Jesus, Judas believes he met the Messiah king of the Jews who will end Roman rule.  Feeling euphoric, Judas breaks his youthful commandment of never joining rebels when he becomes a disciple of the Nazarene.  However, his hero rejects any religious dogma, which leads to a dispirited Judas believing he erred as Jesus is no Messiah planning to free the Jews but instead has a different plot. 

This is an insightful exhilarating bibliographical biblical fiction that looks deep into the soul of the man history paints as the greatest betrayer as well as how Judas changes his opinion of Jesus and the disciples.  Inside an entertaining tale that brings to life first century Judea, Tosca Lee makes the arguments that the child is the adult and that the victors write the history books (and Gospels).  The childhood flight culminating in his Father’s execution haunts the adult Judas while his changing beliefs as to whether Jesus is good for the Jews is not different than the doubting denying disciples.  Iscariot will leave the audience to wonder how we would have acted wearing Judas’ sandals.

Harriet Klausner

In much the same way people good at their jobs often find themselves in management roles but with no particular desire or skill to manage — are all writers, even successful published writers, if asked — really able to teach it? And when they set out to offer editorial services how good are they are communicating what they think?

I am lucky that I have always been able to communicate through the written word — not just in a fictional sense, but as  a scientist I had to be concise, I had to write in ‘science speak’ and it is a skill that has been useful. What also helped me a great deal was my role in troubleshooting. I was a support specialist liaising with hospitals across the world, with internal customers who had knowledge — but often English was not their first language — and  some of the places they worked were pretty remote. They only had basic access to troubleshooting facilities. And this was also an issue. It was also part of the resolution — for example in how they stored reagents and samples. Sometimes I had to be ‘creative’ in my thinking in working out what they were doing wrong. I am proof scientists can be creative! But the point I’m making is that I had to develop a way of effectively communicating, mostly by email, to explain and direct them towards resolving the problem. As a result I think this has put me on good stead to be able to tease apart the issues with a MS and show the author how often fairly small changes can really transform it. I also have to be aware of the language I use here as well as not everyone knows what I mean, or is familiar with the jargon of the job … endashes and emdashes come to mind.

Almost every time I do a follow-up, and based on comments from some of the lovely authors I work with, I can see how much improved their writing is and I can see how they’ve taken on board my suggestions and observations. I don’t expect them to agree with everything and if it’s ‘Debz the Writer’ speaking,  rather than ‘Debz the  nuts and bolts Editor’, especially when discussing a potential enhancement to the plot, let’s say, then I will make this clear.

You can show a writer how their narrative can be tightened. You can show a writer how showing rather than telling brings a scene to life. You can correct formatting and grammar issues … but can you change their story?  You might well say “No! Of course not! Absolutely not!” but I hope you won’t even though you are right, in a way! Story in terms of how it’s structured and the plot must form a central focus of the editing process and be very much a part of the advice you give when you undertake a full critique. What I tend to do is suggest that perhaps the motivation that fuels the action of a particular character needs to be strengthened  I might suggest a key scene needs to be slowed down and more tension built into it. I might suggest the ending doesn’t quite resolve the conflict enough. So I can see places where the weakness is impacting on the plot. But I always point out — this is your story. I have no intention of high-jacking a story and turning it into something the author doesn’t want it to be. I think the key is to identify places where there are weaknesses that really don’t seem to work and places that do work but where there is scope to make them even better.  Then I might suggest how. I might ask … have you considered bringing in this character here, or perhaps this needs to happen before this … or maybe you could have the character do this. But this is where I am being Debz the Writer and my hope isn’t that they do exactly what I tell them — to reiterate –  it is their story. But at least look at where there needs to be a change. My role is to show them how that part isn’t working (that’s the key) and if they agree (which they nearly always do!) then I will suggest possible solutions. Understanding why it doesn’t work is the most important part because the change will be easy, because now they see what that scene needs to do and they can change it themselves. They might think my idea is great and use it. I like that. But what I really hope is that with their original idea and my list of possible suggestions, they come up with something better than either of us came up with.

So I see my role as being not only correcting and working with the nuts and bolts of the narrative — but also guiding in the making the story have the best shape and work as a story. What I hope most is they are left with a better understanding of their piece and ‘the fix’ comes from them, fuelled by this enlightenment!

So I hope the reports are clear, concise and explained so they really ‘get it’ but I always invite a phone chat if they need further clarification. It’s rare someone doesn’t understand what I mean but oddly that has happened with a short recently. It makes me go back and check how I made the suggestion and  how I might have made it better. I always want to do my job well. I hate to be defeated. I can not tell you how long I once spent with a writer from our writing group explaining how to show and not tell. She seemed to get it but then it was gone again. But I think we won in the end. I felt like a girl on a mission!

When you first start critting you have to be very careful you don’t use the ‘this is how I would do it’ approach as I have witnessed in a group — all that does is turn let’s say a literary short story about the future into a women’s magazine piece or a science fiction story now sounding more like the critter’s voice (critter as in critiquer and not some furry alien) than the author’s. And what credentials you then have to ask does this critter have? (Now I see him as a furry alien — doh!) Have they been published? Is their voice even any good? The trick is to be true to the style and the voice of the author — and when it comes down to what makes good writing and what makes a good story, the rules are pretty universal. Or perhaps I should say what makes this a stronger story.

So can all writers do this well?

What do you think?

Any bad experiences? Don’t name critters, that’s not fair, you can name me I don’t mind that — but anything you find irritating or that didn’t help you?

I have to say I did have to learn my craft, I have an MA, I have read many books, I work as a publisher (albeit small — the press not me … well I am 5 foot 3 so maybe me too!) but above all I am a working writer. And therefore I do not adhere to the ‘those who can’t — teach’ philosophy. I am doing it. And I have some successes under my belt. But I am also human and some people will like the way I work and some won’t. Thankfully I get a lot of work by recommendation and a lot of repeat business so I must be doing something right, some of the time!!!

And one final thing, I find it extremely satisfying working with other writers and seeing their work improve. Some even get publishing deals or win a competition. No matter how weak or how strong a MS is when I first see it … I always learn something too. It’s two-way and that makes it so rewarding. It feeds my own writing.

I have to know it to write it — I have to know it even better to teach it.

When I work with you — the connection is made and in the vast majority of cases, it remains and isn’t broken. Big smile.

Have a great day everyone, whatever you do!

The success is coming … do you feel it yet?

In The Spotlight: Author Don Nixon

Well it’s Tuesday again and I would like to welcome to the Blog a writer I’ve known since we first published him at Bridge House and he has gone on to have many successes including a new novel …

Over to you Don, tell us something about yourself …

I live in Shropshire. I have worked as a tutor for the Open University. I also did some work for the Open University in prisons and I think my experience meeting prisoners in a variety of different prisons from Category A to Open has influenced my fiction writing and the fact that I have tended to focus on crime short stories. The first short story I wrote was about a prisoner just released.

Have you always wanted to be a published writer?

I had never thought of writing until my wife started to go to a local writers’ group. She discussed what she was writing with me and I became interested. She encouraged me to submit a short story to a magazine and to my surprise it was accepted and from then on I was hooked. I began to enter writing competitions and had some success with short stories. I had a crime short story accepted by Tindal Street Publishers for their crime anthology Birmingham Noir and another by a Canadian publisher in Calgary. I also won the short story prize for the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook competition in 2004 which involved a meeting with an editor from Bloomsbury Publishers and I suppose that encouraged me to go on. Since then I have had a number of short stories and articles published, including some by Bridge House Publishing. I also began to write poetry which I find I greatly enjoy doing. I won or was short-listed for various poetry competitions and was lucky enough to win the formal poetry prize for two years running  2012 and 2012 at a prestigious international poetry festival at Lake Orta in Italy, the patron of which is Carol Ann Duffy  and other leading poets from all over the world are there.

Last year I also won the Leeds Peace Poetry prize. Meeting poets at this and other festivals has been a wonderful experience and a great encouragement. My daughter says I am a schizophrenic writer  – poetry on the one hand and gritty crime fiction in the other. Some time ago, I went to my wife’s writers’ group to hear a talk by a writer who writes Westerns. He gave very good advice. Almost as a joke I began occasionally to jot down ideas for a Western. I found that Westerns are very popular on library shelves and so I read some and found the genre has very specific rules. I decided to try and get my effort into some kind of shape.

Do you have an agent? If not did you try to get one? Any advice about that? 

No I haven’t tried to get an agent. Most agents don’t seem to want  to handle short story writers or poets so I haven’t bothered. Now with a novel under my belt I may consider it.

Do you belong to a writing group? Crit group? Have you had someone professionally critique your novel before submitting or publishing?

I don’t belong to a writers’ group but have occasionally gone to a local group when they have a guest speaker as happened with the  Western. I have not had anyone critique my novel though I got some very good feedback from an American publisher to whom I first submitted it. They rejected it but made many suggestions and said they would consider it if these suggestions were acted upon. As one basic suggestion involved a major rethink of part of the plot I decided not to do this.

Tell us about how the western came to be published …                                                                                                                                                                           I saw a competition from – Creative Print Publishing. Last year they asked for submissions of novels in different genres  — each month for 8 months there was a different genre. I noticed that one month was devoted to the Western genre so as I had one finished, I sent it in. It won and the prize was publication, marketing. royalties etc. Creative Publishing is in the self assisted publishing business but as I had won the prize it was all free for me and I cannot speak too highly of their professionalism.

What was the editing process like and how long did it take? Did you work with an editor?

The editing process was detailed and helpful. I doubt if I would self publish as I believe the labourer is worthy of his hire. In this case my novel was chosen by an editor who presumably thought it had merit and had commercial prospects as they were paying for all aspects of its publication and royalties.

How much marketing have you had to do and how have book sales been?

The publisher has done the online marketing with Amazon, Waterstones, Kobo etc. Already there is a good review on Amazon. The opening chapter can be read on Amazon. I will arrange local newspaper interviews and local radio. It is too early for me to know what the sales have been like. I have also been asked to talk to a group about writing and will take some copies along. I have also put the cover on my Facebook page.

Okay so tell us about the novel …

The novel is a Western adventure . The background of is I think fairly accurate. It is set in Southern Texas and across the border in Mexico. The story is about a young man with a chequered past in a race against time to save a man from being hanged. He rescues a rich Texan saloon owner from a stagecoach robbery and in return she employs him to cross the border into Mexico with a ransom in emeralds to buy the freedom of her former lover from the corrupt governor of the province. In the course of the journey he comes into conflict with a local bandido war lord and has a number of adventures during the course of which he gradually comes to terms with his troubled past and falls in love. I am thinking of writing a sequel.

• The novel can be bought (print or download) on Amazon and other on line book sellers – Waterstones, WH Smith, Kobo etc. It can also be obtained
• on order from booksellers. Some short stories I have written which are published in anthologies are also on Amazon.

Did you have any say in the cover design?

The publisher was very good about this and incorporated my ideas into the design as I wanted it to relate to the story of the novel hence the noose, the cacti and the emeralds.

So what’s next?

I am thinking about a sequel to Ransom. This time it would be set on the Canadian border and Rockies – an area I know well. I am also playing around with ideas for a crime novel. Some of the short stories I have had published could form the basis of an opening chapter. A Routine Job in the current Bridge House Crime After Crime springs to mind. At the moment however I am writing poetry as I will be reading later this year at some poetry festivals. I am also thinking about assembling a collection of my poems which have done well in competitions with a view to publication. Basically I write because I enjoy it. Anything else such as winning a competition or publication is a bonus.

Any advice for writers who are trying to get their work published?

Enter competitions. That way you hone your craft and you have something to put on your CV.

Tell us something random about you for the pure hell of it 

I got married in Canada in a snow storm and had to dig a way through the snow from the apartment to get to the church on time. My wife though it might be  an idea for opening a story in the romance genre but I usually need a body to crop up so if I use it I suppose something nasty will have to found in a snowdrift and it will be back to crime.

Finally: can we post an extract of your novel?

Yes with pleasure and you can read the first chapter on Amazon …

Chapter One, Ransom

It was a good spot for an ambush. The canyon sides sloped steeply. Here the pass shrank to its narrowest point.

             High among the rocks, Brett watched the two men below. They struggled to haul a boulder into the middle of the trail. Earlier, he had seen them hide their horses beyond the bend in the dirt track so that the driver of the stage would not be suspicious when he saw the rock blocking his way. Landslides were common in this stretch of southern Texas.  It would not be the first time the driver had to clear the way ahead.

          Brett eased himself into a more comfortable position and rested his Winchester Repeater on a ledge in the outcrop of the scree. Squinting along the barrel, he brought the older of the two men into his sights. The man was fiftyish and his grizzled beard was flecked with white. Unlike his younger companion, a Mexican with a swarthy skin and long black hair tied Yaqui  Indian fashion at the back, the greybeard was very pale.  Brett guessed the unhealthy pallor meant he had not been long out of the State penitentiary.

            Brett had been following the trail of the Mexican for the past three weeks after he had found his partner knifed and robbed at their camp north of  the border crossing. The local sheriff hadn`t been too interested in his story. To him, Brett and his partner were just another pair of out of work vaqueros – young men who just drifted to and fro across the border and were probably up to no good. Knifings and robberies were commonplace in the little border towns.  After quickly jotting down a few details, the sheriff was soon back at his poker game.

            Brett realised there was going to be no help from what passed for the law in that part of southern Texas. Angry at the murder of his friend, He determined to find the killer himself. The Mexican had been over confident and had made no effort to cover his tracks. The trail led north. Brett finally found him one night in a saloon in San Antonio.

             After leaving the orphanage, Brett had worked for a time in the noisy engine room of a Mississippi sternwheeler and there he had picked up how to lip read. The Mexican was sitting with two other men and from across the saloon, Brett had easily read their plan to hold up the stage to Santos. He had followed them the next morning as they left town. The third man was not with them.

              Brett`s mouth set in a grim line. He couldn`t prove that the Mexican had killed his partner but if the murderer was caught holding up a stage then he`d hang for that instead.There was always the possibility that there could be a bounty on his head. That would come in useful as most of the money he`d earned across the border as a mercenary was now gone. It might be best to take the greybeard alive he decided as a live prisoner usually brought a higher reward and the Mexican would be an extra bonus. Brett settled back to wait.

             The trap was set.

Copyright Don Nixon Creative Print Publishing, 2013. Reproduced with kind permission of the author.

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