A year ago today, Jo Finney the Books Editor of Good Housekeeping sent a momentous tweet. At least it was for me. It meant I could finally reveal the big secret that I'd been keeping since the 16th of May.
I had won the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition with my novel. Like the title of my novel, I've gone through a lot of changes in the last twelve months. The Box became The Choice and I went from a writer to an author, learning that there is so much more to the publishing process than I had ever anticipated. I've been through structural edits, line edits, copy edits and I'm about to go through my proofs to do a final check before the book is finished and ready for printing. I've got to know my amazing agent Amanda Preston and editor Victoria Oundjian. I've had to work hard to pace my energy so I could meet my deadlines and stay well. I've found The Choice on Amazon, Waterstones and the Book Depository. I've seen my cover and you'll get to see it soon too. I've been to London to speak at the London Book Fair. All of this and The Choice isn't even published until Boxing Day, 26th December. I'm so excited about it finally being released, I want to get my story into your hands so you can share Olivia's adventures, her highs and lows. Have you ever had a tweet that changed your life? If not, what tweet would you love to get? Let me know in the comments.
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I was incredibly excited to attend (and equally nervous) but I focused on what an amazing opportunity it was. Mum accompanied me as my PA and wheelchair pusher and as we entered the vast, echoing marble corridors I felt humbled and full of awe. For the past six years I’ve worked on my writing and here I was, not just with a toe in the door (or should that be wheel), but the whole of me and part of my story was inside the building.
I read The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald for my book club and I have to admit I expected it to be chick lit. It shows how little I knew about Fitzgerald, who I now know is an English Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer.
There are so many books out at the moment set in book shops, cafes, shops, that I assumed it was one of those and I was quite happy to read something a little lighter after finishing American Gods and Anatomy of a Soldier in previous months. I didn't know what to expect and I was in for a story with a vastly shifting tone. It started with a little old lady, Florence Green, taking on the world and I really admired her passion and refusal to be cowed by her neighbours and the nasty Lady of the Manor.
The middle of the novel was my favourite, really laugh out loud funny with brilliant insights into life in a small village. I grew up in a village where anyone who hadn't been there for fifty years was an incomer, so this felt very familiar and Fitzgerald's portrayal of the array of characters you meet was cleverly perceived. I particularly enjoyed Florence's unlikely and often comical friendships.
But the rapper/ghost? Where did that come from? I thought it was a ploy to get Florence out of her shop, I did not expect a supernatural element to the story. Maybe because I have my own dream of success that I felt so deeply for Florence. I wanted her to do well, to beat the odds, to get her happily ever after. Half way through the book I completely believed it was possible. Things deteriorated rapidly and my heart broke as her life fell apart. The last line is maybe one of the saddest I've ever read. I won't share it as it gives the whole plot away but even now I feel really sad when I remember it. ​By the end I was definitely in need of cake. Florence visited an old recluse and he gave her tea and fruit cake, so it was the perfect excuse to try out a recipe for Christmas.
I decided to try a Chocolate Cherry Christmas Cake from Good Housekeeping since I love chocolate, cherries and cake. The recipe makes a very dark, rich fruit cake, moist. I normally prefer lighter Christmas cakes in general, but this made a good change. I couldn't really taste the chocolate as it blended in but the sharp sour cherries provided a really nice tang. There's lots of fruit (cherries, of course!) and it was delicious with a slice of Wensleydale cheese - my Yorkshire roots showing.
Even better, it's a gluten free cake and as with so many recipes now you wouldn't know it. If you're looking for a good gluten free, rich Christmas Cake I'd definitely recommend it. When I was little we had a big box of Christmas books we got down from the loft every year but the one I remember most was Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore (1799 - 1863) looking at the pictures and falling in love with the lilting words. I decided to create my own picture version and here it is. I hope it gets you in the festive spirit.
Publisher News: Still nothing and the whole Brexit/Recession/EU Who-ha has me concerned that publishers won't be investing in new writers. At least there are other alternatives and I shall wait and see what the next few months bring.
Writing Progress: I got distracted by my tax return but I've discovered that Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month's little sister) is starting again in July so I am going to use that to spur me on to finishing my next draft. I'm really excited about it. The countdown is on to 50,000 words in 31 days.
Unfortunately the time always comes when you have to declutter, because you just don't have room to live. You can no longer find the great things you own. Editing a novel is just like that. When you declutter the first items you throw out are the things you definitely won't use. The broken things, the items that you'd be embarrassed if anyone saw. In writing that's the terrible sentences, the ones you're ashamed to have ever written; but any writer knows that you have to get some bad sentences down, so that you can get to the good, then hopefully on to the great . The next stage is sorting through the items you still kind of like. Not love; but you feel they have potential. You might need them one day. This is more challenging as you edit because you don't want to cut the good stuff. The paragraphs may just need a polish, a few words cut here, some adverbs shaken off there.
Now things are starting to look beautiful, you can see the amazing items you own and are reminded of why you bought them in the first place. Everything feels better, easier and you'd really like to stop. You've done enough, surely? And you're tired too. You want a break. Deep down though, you know it could be better, you could do a little more to get it just right. This is the part where you start getting rid of unnecessary story arcs, characters and scenes you really want to keep. Kill the Dust Bunnies, take them out into the light and throw them away. Yes it's painful; but for the greater good keep going. I couldn't believe my luck when I heard Garth Nix was coming to Norwich. His book Sabriel means a lot to me. It was the first book I read after being too ill to read for four years with severe ME. It was a horrific time, unable to avoid my illness and escape into a book, I was ill and miserable. I had to imagine my own stories in my head; but I missed reading so much. Despite not being able to read I still bought books, what can I say I just love them so much, the feel, the smell. I was keeping them for when I could read again. When I bought Sabriel I knew very little about it; but the cover was beautiful, white and gold, I couldn't resist opening it. I read the very first sentence, my brain struggling to take in the words, to understand the sentence. It did and it was fantastic. I was hooked. I was too ill to read more than a sentence a day at first and it took me nearly two years to read it; but I loved it so much. Sabriel brought me back to books and the joy of reading and for that I will be forever grateful to Garth. It was an honour to be able to tell him that tonight. Tonight I went to see Deborah Harkness speak at Waterstone's. She's the author of The All Souls Trilogy, one of my favourite fantasy series. I was so excited that she was coming to Norfolk! I must admit I was a little nervous, you never know what your favourite authors will be like in "real life"; but I had nothing to worry about, she was amazing. Lovely, funny, a great speaker and really inspirational. I've been feeling a little down lately, everything in life seems to be taking so long - especially my book. Who knew that a book that takes you a few days or weeks to read actually takes years to write? I certainly didn't and I have been getting frustrated. Deborah said that she's pleased if she writes two pages a day. That's about what I've been managing, so that was a huge relief. She also said a lot of things I've said to people before and got slightly strange looks - like characters come to life as you're writing them and they do things you don't expect. Also that she's got lots of stories simmering at the back of her brain, just waiting to be written. I feel the exact same way and it was reassuring that I'm not alone. Deborah also said she thought her Mum would be only one to ever read her book - a feeling I've shared on many, many occasions. She has given me courage and optimism that if she can do it, then maybe, just maybe I can too.
This week is very much back to reality. The summer feels as if it's on its way out, the long hot days replaced with cool, grey damp. I'm a little sad; but I enjoy the snugly, cosy-ness of autumn: hot chocolates, warm jumpers, curling up with a book. Okay so the last part I do all year round; but it feels different when it's dark outside, don't you think?
A couple of my personal favourites are Rachel Morgan from the Hollows Series by Kim Harrison and Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich - there's something about a smart, quirky women who kicks ass while speaking witty banter that inspires me. I like that they're flawed, they make mistakes; but they pick themselves up and start again.
How about you? If you could be any character in fiction, who would you want to be? Let me know in the comments. |
Claire WadeI'm an author, disability activist, winner of the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition and The EABA for Fiction 2020 and founder of Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses (ADCI). The Choice is available from:DETAILS:
Title: The Choice Publisher: Orion ISBN: 1409187748 You can keep up to date with all my latest blog posts by signing up to my email newsletter.
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