Home Thoughts Weekly

Sacha Ferrier's Transcience exhibition ‘I know you’ve worked really hard on this,’ Tom begins cautiously, ‘but I prefer the first version…’. Tom’s always the first person to read my work, usually when it’s finished, so it’s rare to run anything past him at this early stage. The thing is, having finished my first chapter of the new novel, I keep having a mental ‘tickle’ that has to be scratched; what if I write this in the first person?  We’re inclined to trust first person narratives and are often seduced by their immediacy, that sense of having direct access to a character’s thoughts, but I also liked the idea that first-person narrators are unreliable; memories change every time we retrieve them, or we may gloss over events and deceive ourselves about what really happened. The re-write proves to be an interesting experiment; I learn a great deal more about my protagonist, but I can’t quite tell why the story isn’t quite working until Tom gives me his reaso...

‘But, Chris,’ Si, my son-in-law, tells me gently, ‘it’s only you who thinks that way.’ We’re sitting at the kitchen table where I’ve been moaning away about my professional disappointments in 2014 and awarding myself a Could Do Better grade for my efforts. ‘Anyone else would be pleased to have just one novel published - ever – you’re just comparing yourself to others in a very small circle.’ I’ve thought about our ‘turning of the year’ conversation a lot since then because it helped me to see that the only person giving me a hard time, is me. Some of it’s due to panic; I’ve had several writing projects in mind and started them only for my Inner Critic to rise up and savage them. Some of it’s due to a sudden urge to put everything in order, a frenzied outbreak of cupboard tidying as if I’m trying to create a sense of calm so I can concentrate in peace. And a lot of it’s because I’ve been ill, in pain, busy with other commitments, worried about other people, irritabl...

A view from the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path After our mountain of visitors – nine over two weeks, eight of us altogether at peak times and, believe me, we have a dormer bungalow not a country mansion – I have a few mountains to climb (washing, ironing and putting bedding back in store) before I’m back in the swing of blogging. However, I also have heaps of very happy memories to treasure; like the sight of Ma’s face when she discovered that Santa had left a Christmas stocking on the end of her bed. We had a sharp reminder of how very precious moments with family are at the end of December when we heard about a very bright light going out in this world. Her story is not mine to tell, but it certainly made me hold my loved ones closer.   But there was good news too ; a reprieve, hopefully, even, an ‘all clear’ for my mother-in-law, new jobs, new plans and lots to look forwards to in this fresh new year. And after The Bad Back from Hell that drove me to the doctor, ...

We're going to be travelling and catching up with family so I will take this opportunity to thank you for reading Home Thoughts Weekly.   Like any other year, 2014 has brought its share of ups and downs but I'm going into the New Year thinking of all the happy times.   All best wishes to you and yours for Christmas and the New Year.

Got a book inside you? Thinking of making 2015 the year you let it out? Here’s your author specification so you can hit the ground running. Essential Information Before you begin, ask yourself whether or not you’re completely and utterly in love with what you’re writing. If you don’t care about your work, why should the reader? Besides, it’s a long old slog writing 90,000 words. If you want to make a career out of this you’ve got to find the stamina to complete this journey not just once, but over and over again. Qualifications None. Anyone can do it, can’t they? Please note; excuses about not having enough time are not acceptable. Everyone is busy. Experience and Knowledge Proven evidence of writing skills is desirable though not, unfortunately, essential. However, useful examples include writing for publication in magazines and newspapers and competition wins. Have you stamped all over the internet? Left your digital footprints on the blogosphere, Twitter, Facebook, Pi...

The dream... These are the shoes I bought for my dream life, the one where I’m far more glamorous, far more successful … and don’t actually have to fret about walking further than from car to bar. I haven’t worn them – unless you count trotting round the house a few times for the sheer joy of wearing such pretty and impractical footwear. However much I might secretly dream of topping the Sunday Times best seller list, I’m fully aware that every time I step in the shower and wash in water that’s cleaner and more abundant than many people’s drinking water, I’m already living someone else’s dream. I’ve been knocked out by the worst cold I’ve had in ages and it’s forced me to sit passively watching the world go by. Christmas always worries me anyway; too many memories of trying to make it special on a very limited budget when my daughters were growing up, but more than ever it seems that so many seasonal messages are all about buying that festive feeling. All that debt...

Towards Little Spitmarsh My fellow Choc Lit author and friend, the delightful Liz Harris, has invited me to join in a series of blog postings which began with Australian readers and writers of rural romance and has grown to include lovers of the great outdoors everywhere. Liz introduced us to handsome rancher Will Hyde, the hero of her novella, A Western Heart and a man more than one young lady would like to saddle up with. Liz's passion, not just for her hero but also for the American West, is evident in this novella and in her lovely novel A Bargain Struck . Both   are set in 1880s Wyoming so it's not surprising to find that Liz has stayed in a working ranch in Wyoming herself, although, as she states, rather more recently. Liz's evocative covers  You can find out more about Liz and her varied and interesting books here where you’ll quickly notice that there’s no shortage of material for her novels. Most recently, Liz’s travels took her to Australia...