A-K-Andrew

Time for a Change Can be a New Opportunity

The New Year is a good time to reassess our priorities. I've decided it's now time for me to make a change and I'm going to stop writing this blog. Today is my last post!I've come to a point where I feel I really need to focus my energy on finishing the final edit of my novel, as well as spending more time on my artwork. As you know, I recently released The Creative Zone, an adult #coloring book. Designing the artwork and the book itself was an enjoyable challenge and made me realize how important the visual arts are to me.I've often hailed the virtues of creativity and for me, the creative process is where I feel I need to steer my energy.

New Opportunity, Last Post

Page from The Creative Zone by Kathy Andrew

Page from The Creative Zone by Kathy Andrew

Thank you

I've loved writing this blog. It's developed my skills as a non-fiction writer and I've learned so much from the research I've done over the past four years. In thinking of making this change, the most important thing is to thank all my readers and especially those who've taken the time over and over again to join in the discussions.The most enjoyable part of my blog has been hearing other people's thoughts. [tweetthis]Online interaction bet. people from disparate backgrounds & interests is invaluable as a #writer.[/tweetthis]I've also been incredibly fortunate in finding my blogging tribe in Bloggers Helping Bloggers through LinkedIn. What an incredible group of people!! Not only do I feel I've made lifelong online friends, but the level of openness and support has been amazing. While I can't name everyone, I'd like to make a special mention to Jeri Walker, Susan Cooper, Leora Wenger, Doreen Pendgracs, Sherryl Perry, Jon Jefferson, Patricia Weber, Jeanette Palladino, &  Catarina Alexon.

Thanks to all of you for your unfailing support and friendship.

A.K. Andrew, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge, akandrew.com,a writers notebook

A.K. Andrew, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge

 Where to Find Me?

So how can we keep in touch? While I'll keep this website, I am active on my Facebook Author page  (I'd love it if you would "like" either page), on Pinterest and Instagram. And of course I'm on Twitter. You may have already noticed that my twitter feed now includes  visual art as well as writing related tweets. And for those of you who have only known me as A.K., I am using my full name Kathy for anything associated with my artwork.I will drop in when I can to your blogs, retweet your posts and I hope we can continue to connect and learn from each other. Wishing you all a fabulously creative year.

Arrivederci,  A.K. Andrew

A.K. Andrew

A.K. Andrew

What changes are you planning for the coming year? Have any of them come as a surprise? What new opportunities can you see on the horizon?

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Have you #Read My Two favorite #Books from 2015?

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I haven't read as many books as I'd like this year, but there are two that clearly stand out for me as memorable reads of 2015. Fittingly for the 100th anniversary, they are both set in and around WWI.

#Book 1: Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

#books, Testament of Youth,Vera Brittain, akandrew.com, A.K. AndrewThis book is strictly speaking a memoir, but it is so engrossing it moves at the pace and in the narrative style of a novel. It's the story of Vera's experience both just before and during WWI, when she left her Oxford studies to become a nurse. What is particularly striking about the novel, is not just the heartbreak and loss she herself experiences throughout, but how much the war effects the English as a nation. The ongoing rationing, loss and horrific stories of life in the trenches, ground the people down to a collective depression. As is often the case, when the conflict started the consensus was it would be a fleeting event and the toll would be small. Of course the complete opposite was true.I think this passage captures the general mood of despair and lack of control over the characters lives. More importantly we see how central love is to the heart of the novel.

And then, all at once, the whistle sounded again and the train started. As the noisy group moved away from the door he sprang on to the footboard, clung to my hand and, drawing my face down to his, kissed my lips in a sudden vehemence of despair. And I kissed his, and just managed to whisper 'Good-bye!' The next moment he was walking rapidly down the platform, with his head bent and his face very pale. Although I had said that I would not, I stood by the door as the train left the station and watched him moving through the crowd. But he never turned again.”  ~ Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth

#Book 2: Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

#books, akandrew.com, A.K. AndrewPaying Guests, sarah Waters,This novel is a completely different book, but the effects of WWI are also key to the setting of the 1920s. After the death of the father and brother in the war, a young woman and her mother have fallen onto hard times. To make ends meet they are forced into taking lodgers in their formerly grand house. This quote gives a good sense of where Frances' life is starting from at the beginning of the novel.

“She rose from her bed full of new resolutions. ‘We must get out and about more,’ she told her startled mother. ‘We must try different things. We are getting groovy.’ She drew up a list of events and activities: concerts, day trips, public meetings. She went in a fit through her address book, writing letters to old friends. She borrowed novels from the library by authors who had never interested her before. She began to teach herself Esperanto, reciting phrases as she polished and swept.”~Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests

However, things do not go as planned. The first plot twist takes us by surprise:

“And that was all it took. They smiled at each other across the table, and some sort of shift occurred between them. There was a quickening, a livening- Frances could think of nothing to compare it to save some culinary process. It was like the white of an egg growing pearly in hot water, a milk sauce thickening in the pan. It was as subtle yet as tangible as that.” ~ Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests

Even when we think the novel has become a lesbian love story, the plot suddenly throws us against the wall and takes a dramatic turn. What has been a fairly slow moving pace speeds up to breakneck speed and the reader is in a full blown thriller, filled with nail biting suspense.

“Some things are so frightful that a bit of madness is the only sane response.”~Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests

This is by far the best Sarah Waters novel to date. She has matured as a writer and the characters are so well developed we feel both an affinity and a loathing for the protagonists as the story follows the plots twists. The turn of events challenges the morality of two ordinary women who find themselves in an untenable situation after a completely unplanned and dreadful occurrence.The novel also gives the reader an excellent look at the class differences of the day, as well as the gradually changing, but still very limited role offered to women in society.This is my final post for 2015. Thanks so much for all your support and wonderful comments throughout the year. Have a good holiday season and I'll see you back here in January!

What were your two favorite books from 2015? Come join the discussion. Share the love and please post this on your favorite social media. 

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Winners of The Creative Zone #Coloring Book & Free #Coloring Pages

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Congratulations !

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The Creative Zone, adult coloring book by Kathy Andrew

The winners of The Creative Zone Coloring Book Giveaway are:1. D.G. Kaye2. Jan Twissel3. Barbara Lynne Ross4. Andrea  Spengler5. Angela Smith6. Stephanie LWoohoo!

Free #Coloring Book Pages!!

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

The Creative Zone, adult coloring book, Kathy Andrew

As a thank you to all the people who entered, here are 3 more Free Pages from The Creative ZoneI hope you enjoy coloring these and the ones from last week. After you have colored them, if you decide to share them on Facebook, I'd be very grateful if you would let people now they came from The Creative Zone.And of course I hope you will want to get the rest of them in the collection! The Creative Zone would  be a perfect present over the holidays:-)Thanks so much everyone!The paperback is available worldwide through all Amazon stores, and BookDepository.com. Here are the direct Amazon links for the US, UK and Canada to buy the paperback and Kindle versions of the book. (The paperback is also available in US at Barnes and Noble.)

Amazon USA Amazon UK Amazon

 I'd love to hear what you think, so I'd be extremely grateful if you would leave an honest review on Amazon.

Lose yourself in The Creative Zone #coloring book to relax and improve your #creativity. 

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3 Key Points Creatives Can Learn from #NaNoWriMo

Freds-Painting.jpg
The setup for NaNoWriMo at home, if I need to ...

The setup for NaNoWriMo at home, if I need to ...

November is #NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, where thousands of people all over the world write a novel of 50,000w in 30 days. Insane you say? Why put so much pressure on yourself?  I've not done NaNoWriMo myself, but I've recently been wondering what other creatives and entrepreneurs can learn from the discipline of #NaNoWriMo.

1. Immersion

When you start a new project, one way to get really involved is to totally immerse yourself in it. Set aside the time, try new things, look at it in new ways, don't worry about someone looking over your shoulder. The important thing is to get it down. As a visual artist, I find when I only work at intervals I never really get to grips with the heart of the project and it's easy to lose interest.

2. Quantity not Quality

I'm a firm believer in the motto my painting mentor, the late Fred Reichman taught me:

Focus on quantity not quality. The quality will come once you do enough work.

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Fred Riechman

Another way to think of this is practice, practice, practice. Novelists often agonize over the first chapter and some barely get beyond it looking for that perfect gripping opening. In a novel you really want to just get down the first shitty draft of the entire book. That's not to say that no good work will come from #NaNoWriMo, but the chance are it won't  be people's best work. Once you have the first draft in place you can start to edit, fine tune and make it the best it can be.This could apply to any project you're working on. Do whatever you need to do to keep going, improving things again and again until you like the look of what you've created.Painters often do a series of works with the same motif, sometimes over a period of years. The continuity developed in a series can make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Fred was still working on paintings of cats like the one above not long before he died in 2003, over 30 years after the painting above was finished. I always appreciated his minimalist style.

3. Commitment

Writing 50,000w in a month takes a huge amount of time and effort. The single most important thing in order to actually accomplish this is commitment. If you work a little on this and a little on that, setting aside projects for months on end, clearly you are not committing to your work. And the results will reflect that. So if you really want to see some results, commit to the darn thing and start producing some of your best work!

Alternative to #NaNoWriMo for Other Creatives? #NaKiCreMo?

Could there be another dedicated month that is not so defined (ie. not just for writing) that other creatives can participate in instead of NaNoWriMo? There's nothing like being part of a community of people who are all pulling together to achieve something.I mulled over the possibilities of National Art & Creativity Month - NaArCreMo, National Arts & Crafts Month - NaArCraMo,  but decided the one I liked best was  National KickAss Creative Month - NaKiCreMo. What do you think?[tweetthis]The continuity developed in a series can make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.[/tweetthis]How do you approach your projects? Do you like to move slowly, not at all immersed, and hope it will all somehow come together? What is your level of commitment, and what influences that commitment?

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Lack of fREADom Sucks...No More Banned #Books

21st Centuryville

Viva Libriani, head librarian of 21stCenturyville. Original drawing by Kathy Andrew

Viva Libriani, head librarian of 21stCenturyville. Original drawing by Kathy Andrew

Sept.27th -Oct 3rd 2015 is Banned Books Week and this year I've been lucky to have an interview with senior librarian of 21stCenturyville, Ms. Viva Libriani.Ms.Libriani will be seen this year leading the march with her trademark chant Lack of fREADdom sucks...No More banned books!But she was not always a champion for this cause. Viva was raised in the town of Sittingonthefenceville  and with little opportunities open to her, she won a scholarship to University at UNM (University for the Narrow Minded) in Uberconservativetown. During her time at university and sheexpanded her own reading material and things started to feel uncomfortable. It all came to a head after she'd worked for several years as a librarian in Uberconservativetowm. When I spoke with her, she talked of her time there."At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everyone was pretty much the same as folks from Sittingonthefenceville.  But the more I read, the more I had difficulty with decisions that were being made. Then three young girls changed my life. The first asked me why there were no books that made her think. A couple of months later, the second asked why we never carried books that questioned life. The final straw for me was when a ten year old girl with her blonde pigtails flying checked out some books and said  'You know Mom's right, ignorance is bliss.' The girl gave a little wave and left the building."Ms. Libriani paused for a moment to wipe her eyes."I couldn't stand it anymore. I gave my notice, went home, cut off my long hair I'd kept tied up in a bun and went straight to Inky Pinky's and got a tiny tattoo on my ankle of a book with wings." Viva laughed as she looked down at her arms . "I guess I picked up these once I got to 21stCenturyville."Viva Libriani has become a heroine for many of us who've struggled with the idea of being limited as to what we can read, particular books banned in schools and libraries, where children and young adults have no choice in acquiring them elsewhere. I like her too because she wanted to be different and broke an old-fashioned stereotype of the straight-laced and judgmental librarian. Tattoos aren't for everyone, but loads of librarians live in 21stCenturyville these days.

Back to Reality

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association

Viva Viviani may only live in my imagination, but the threat to everyone's right to read what they want in the USA is real: there were 311 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom this year. Here are links to the 10 most challenged titles of 2014. Thanks for this list goes to my local bookstore Copperfield's Books who also sell new, used and rare books online.

1)     The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman AlexieReasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”

2)      Persepolis, by Marjane SatrapiReasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”

3)      And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter ParnellReasons: Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”

4)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni MorrisonReasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues”

5)    It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie HarrisReasons: Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography”

6)    Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona StaplesReasons: Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. Additional reasons:

7)      The Kite Runner, by Khaled HosseiniReasons: Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence

8)     The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”

9)      A Stolen Life, Jaycee DugardReasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group

10)    Drama, by Raina TelgemeierReasons: sexually explicit

I thought it was interesting that 7 of these titles had an issue with sexuality. Does no-one see what's on TV these days? If you want more information about the issue or how to get involved, check out the American Library Association or my post Should we Ever Ban Books. Who knows, maybe Viva will answer your call or email.

Have you had any experience of not being able to get books you wanted in the US , or another country. How do you think we should deal with this issue? Should any books, other than perhaps ones that might put people, particular children, in physical danger, be banned?

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Why Was Evelyn Waugh “Apalled” By His Own Work?

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This is a reblog of one of Robert Bruce's posts from his fantastic website 101Books.net which is the best book site on the web in my opinion.

Why Was Evelyn Waugh “Apalled” By His Own Work?
BRIDESHEAD (1)The critics love Brideshead Revisited. As you know, it’s on the Time list–that’s why I’m reading it–but it’s also #80 on the Modern Library list of English-language novels in the 20th Century. Newsweek listed the novel as one of its 100 best books of world literature, and the BBC lists it at #45 on its literature list.

By all accounts, this is literature at its finest.However, the novel’s author, Evelyn Waugh, wasn’t a fan of his own work. In 1950, he wrote to Graham Greene saying “I re-read Brideshead Revisited and was appalled.”Waugh doesn’t even hold back criticizing the novel in the Brideshead Revisited preface:

“It was a bleak period of present privation and threatening disaster – the period of soya beans and Basic English — and in consequence the book is infused with a kind of gluttony, for food and wine, for the splendours of the recent past, and for rhetorical and ornamental language which now, with a full stomach, I find distasteful.”

Well, doesn’t that really just get you in the mood to read? The author himself trashing the novel in its very own preface.How should one interpret this?I think it’s pretty simple. We’re always our own worst critics. That’s just human nature.So when an author says something he wrote sucks, I believe you have to take that with a grain of salt. Too many authors expect perfection from themselves and feel like failures when they don’t achieve that impossible standard.Evelyn Waugh might not have been a fan of Brideshead Revisited, but most everyone else who read it is.And that’s good enough for me.Here is the original post on 101books.net

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#Author in Focus: Virginia Woolf - A Life of Her Own

Virginia Woolf - A Life of Her Own

Portrait of Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882 –...

Portrait of Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882 –...

Author In Focus Bio:

Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer, and one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century. WikipediaBorn: January 25, 1882, Kensington, United Kingdom Died: March 28, 1941, River Ouse, Sussex, United Kingdom Spouse: Leonard Woolf (m. 1912–1941) Movies: Orlando, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Golven, Simple Gifts, A Room of One's Own Siblings: Vanessa Bell, Thoby Stephen, Adrian Stephen

Virginia Woolf's Work and Life

Virginia Woolf’s career was filled with work that showed a desire to break free from the constraints she felt as a woman.

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."~ Virginia Woolf

Opportunities for women in the 20’s and 30s were undeniably less than they are today. But coming from a privileged, intellectual background Woolf had far greater means  to express herself than many women of her era. In the period between World War 1 and II, she was part of a London literary circle known as the Bloomsbury group, which included writers, painters and other intellectuals. She may have had the privilege of a wealthy family, but from the time of her mother's death when she was only 13 yrs old, combined with her sisters death 2 years later, Virginia suffered the first of several nervous breakdowns. Depression plagued her throughout her life, exacerbated by the sexual abuse both she and her sister suffered from their two half brothers.

“I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.” ~Virginia WoolfFrom an early age, she grew up surrounded by intellectuals which doubtless gave her the desire and ability to question her role in society and the position of women in general. But her depression and mood swings never left. They ultimately led to her suicide in 1941.

English: Portrait of Virginia Woolf

English: Portrait of Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf and Women's Fiction

Despite her mental health problems, or perhaps in part because of them, she managed to be productive in her literary work. Woolf strove to rid herself of her demons, and while her writing  can be non-linear and freeform  making it hard to read, she forged a unique place in women's fiction. Now, decades later, I can appreciate the example she set for all women, striving to find 'a room of one's own' in a metaphorical, if not a literal sense.

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ~ Virginia Woolf

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Author in Focus is a blog series featuring vignettes of some of the greatest writers of the 20th & 21st century.

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say." ~ Italo Calvino

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9 Famous #Authors Rejected by Publishers

I have been submitting my manuscript to agents over the past few months so I thought this was a great post to reblog from  Bridget Whelan Writer to include on my site. Enjoy.

Bridget Whelan Writer

9 famous authors rejected by publishers (comfort for emerging writers)

Heart of litrature...

Heart of litrature...

I enjoyed reading the article published by The Writers Circle website about famous authors who were not only rejected (in one case 800 times), but also had to suffer crushing criticism and they don’t even mention J.K.Rowling’s numerous rejections. I wonder if there are publishers who still wake up in the middle of the night remembering that they once held the manuscript of Harry Potter in their hands.How well would you have coped if you were told:“…an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.” (It has since sold  more than 14.5 million copies and helped the author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.)

“There certainly isn’t enough genuine talent for us to take notice.” (One of the most celebrated and admired writers of her generation)

Stick to teaching.” (The publisher who offered that advice has been out of business a long time: she hasn’t been out of print for 150 years.)

Read the article in full HERE. Might be worth printing it out and sticking it on the wall somewhere so you can see it when you look up from the keyboard.

Have faith, keep going and never forget why you want to write: because you love it.

photo credit: 120/365. A Light Shines In My Heart. via photopin(license)

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10 Ways to Be Creative in the Summer

Does summertime make you feel creative and want to try new things? Or do you just like to have fun in the sun? I like both, so while I'll be posting all through the summer, I'm taking a break from blog commenting until after Labor Day. Some of you may remember this post from last year, but I felt it needed repurposing!What will You be Doing for Creative Fun this Summer?Summer is a great time to try things you might not normally do. Here are my suggestions for being creative this summer.

1.Build a Sandcastle or a Sand Painting

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

Building sandcastles are one of my favorite childhood memories as we always had beach holidays. Some of the ones you see are amazing, not just the fill a bucket and turn it upside down kind. I love making a moat with a sand castle too, all that foamy water rushing in. And then at the end of the day you can make it disappear with one sweep of your hand or wait for a wave to do the same thing. Creative things don't need to be permanent. Sand paintings are fun for that very reason. Do one on the beach with a stick or your finger, or buy a sand painting kit.

2.Write a Short Story

This is the time to let go, have some fun with it. And remember no-one but you will see it, unless you want them to. Write about an unexpected sexual encounter. Try out a different genre you don't usually use. Never written about vampires? Now's the time. Write in a different point of view, or from the point of view of a different gender, or sexual orientation. Hey, this is supposed to be fun right?

3.Go see a Film or Make a Movie

When was the last time you went to a cinema? No, not your home theatre, but a big screen-Dolby stereo-popcorn-selling cinema. Treat yourself. If you're a regular cinema goer then try a different kind of film. For me that would be a horror film. Of course, I'd have to take something to hold up in front of the screen though! Maybe you'll be inspired to make a short movie on your phone or camera. One of the best shorts I've ever seen was made by a guy who was stuck in his house in Minnesota one winter, and he used himself as the subject. It was so imaginative, and best of all, hilarious.

 4.Take a Photograph

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

We all spend so much time on our mobile phones these days, but do you use your phone camera for anything other than selfies or groups of friends laughing together? I love those photos, but it's great to capture even simple things you see that give you a memory of the place you've been and the good time you had.  Better still, take an actual camera!You remember those right? I must dust mine off. I happened to catch these cowboys with my phone while driving home last Sunday morning - I wasn't driving:-)

5.Try a Poem

Lots of people, myself included, sometimes find poetry intimidating. But if you think of poetry as being just the essential information you need, it's not so threatening. Of course, the arrangement and choice of words is what makes poetry beautiful, striking and memorable. Play around with words that come to mind, and put them together in a bizarre order. See what happens.

6. Watercolors and Painting

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew

I used to think water colors had to be twee little scenes of cottages with roses round the door. They can be if that's what you want, but you can paint anything you want with watercolors including abstracts. Look at the beautiful watercolors from Leora Wenger she painted during a blackout. It's a brilliant medium to take on holiday. I have a little Winsor Newton box that is about 3"x  5 " with a telescopic paintbrush inside. The paints are little squares like a kids paint set. I've had so much fun with that little box. The key to both drawing and painting is really looking at your subject. And don't try and get the whole thing in the painting. Just pick a small section, like a doorway not the whole house, or a single plant, not the whole garden etc. If you really want to be adventurous, try acrylics or oil paints. The textures are delicious.

7.Drawing

A.K.Andrew,http://akandrew.com

A.K.Andrew,http://akandrew.com

Kids have so much fun with drawing , and there is no reason why adults can't either. If you want your drawings to look as if you were classically trained, good for you. But if like me, you don't have that skill, then draw whatever it is you see. If it's stick figures - fabulous.  You know who they are, and I can guarantee that if you forget about it having to look realistic, you will have fun with it. Think simple , but creative. Look at the work of Keith Haring. I used to think drawing was an innate skill. Some people have more of a natural talent, but it can basically be learned by anyone. So you might want to elaborate on your stick figures, and give it a shot. Drawing your own hands is a great way to practise. Or look in a mirror as I did above for this self portrait. Drawing images from photographs is much easier than from real life, so that's a good place to start too. Pencils are great, but charcoal or pastels are also really fun too. The important thing for me is the process.

8.Gardening

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

A.K.Andrew, http://akandrew.com

Gardening  is a fantastically creative pursuit and I'm often amazed the effects people can get from very simple things eg. putting a plant in an old metal jug, or combining flowers with herbs. It's hot and dry in the summer where I live, and I've seen some of the most amazing succulent gardens in our neighborhood. Years ago I thought they were a very boring plant, but once I saw them in the US, and particularly the ones that bloom, I've come to love them. They're great for needing little water too, which is always a good choice. Watch your back though - gardening is addictive, and it's easy to forget how much work you've done. If you find this is the case then try using raised beds. Here's one surprise I found in a neighbors garden....

 9. Music

How many times have you heard people say, I can't sing? Nonsense! Everyone who does not have vocal chord issues can sing. Some voices are more pleasant to listen to than others, but we're talking about having fun here. Sing at the top of your lungs, and who cares what it sounds like. Or pick up a musical instrument you haven't tried before. Harmonica's and tin whistles are inexpensive. Ukulele's can be very cheap these days. The chords are very simple,  - some only use one finger. It's all about having fun.

10. Cooking

A.K.Andrew,http://akandrew.com

A.K.Andrew,http://akandrew.com

Cooking does not have to be complicated, and in the summer, many of the dishes we eat are cold. Some people are so creative in what they make. Check out Susan Cooper's siteFindingourwaynow.com. She has lots of great recipes, and you can tell she has fun in her cooking. I like simple dishes in the summer. There's nothing more beautiful than a caprese salad - luscious heirloom tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella, sprinkled with chopped basil and dribbled with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Talk about a treat for all the senses.

What else do you like to do creatively? Welding, sculpture, making jewellery, beading, rockhounding? Try something new this summer, and whatever it is, make sure you enjoy yourself.

Have a fantastic summer everyone and don't forget, comments have "Gone Fishing" until after Labor Day!

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Barbara Kingsolver: What is the Heart of a Novel?

 Cover of "The Poisonwood Bible"Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. The novel which earned her a pulitzer prize nomination and an Oprah endorsement, was "The Poisonwood Bible"  published in 1998, and follows a missionary family in the colonial Congo.  She is now the author of 14 books and her most recent novel "Flight Behaviour ", deals with climate change.

How Does a Novel Start?

I talked a couple of weeks ago in my post on Ray Bradbury, about the short story, referencing one of his quotes. This week I'd like, through Barbara Kingsolver, to look at how a novel might come to fruition. We can look at what is the heart of a novel by looking at her inspiration for it's beginning.

“I woke up one morning with a vision,” she says. “I don’t know whether it was a dream, but it felt very dreamlike. And I saw – I don’t want to say it because I’ve made a point of not revealing the secret – the beautiful thing that arrives, that starts this novel rolling. I just woke up and saw that, in these forested mountains where I live.”...“I didn’t even understand what I’d imagined,” Kingsolver says, recalling that vision she had, “but I spent all day thinking about it and I’m enough of a biologist to ponder what it would really mean if that did happen here. I immediately saw the whole thing. Often there is a moment when I can see the novel sort of unrolling like a carpet in front of me and that did happen with this book. I think the novel is very much about how we understand and process what we see and how very true it is how we decide first what we believe and then collect evidence to support it, rather than the reverse. When you look at the conversation about climate change it’s baffling that everyone is presented with the same facts but people come away with very different convictions about what’s going on.”

This is one person's experience, but it struck a chord for me. A novel can start with just the tiniest of sparks, and from that it can unfold or unroll like a carpet, as Kingsolver says. Like the short story, and even more so, you need to have a feeling about the work and be totally immersed in that feeling, otherwise what the book is really about - it's theme - will be jumbled and confused. One can have more than one theme, but there needs to be a core sentence which you can refer to that tells us what the novel is about. You could call it the elevator pitch, but it is really the heart of the novel. "Flight Behaviour"  certainly has plenty of heart, and while I loved "Poisonwood Bible", I think "Flight Behaviour" is her best novel to date.Flight Behaviour, A.K. Andrew, akandrew.com, A writer's Notebook [tweetthis]I think the novel is very much about how we understand and process what we see ~Barbara Kingsolver[/tweetthis]As a novelist, can you summarise your latest novel in one sentence? As a reader do you think it's important to know the theme? Does the theme of the novel influence you in buying the book?

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Do You Want to Watch An Animated Ray Bradbury Interview?

Lisa Potts did an interview with Ray Bradbury  in 1972 and she by chance found it again in 2012. Since then, it's been animated though the wonderful "Blank on Blank" , in part of their PBS series. Thanks so much to Maria Popova of Brainpickings.org - one of my favourite websites BTW - for introducing me to this wonderful series. Alongside writer Bradbury, Blank on Blank  have animated interviews with Maya Angelou, musicians such as Lou Reed, John Lennon and actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger among others. A real gem of a find.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ciQoov55fMHere is part of what Ray Bradbury says about writing:

"Don’t pay any attention to what anyone else says — no opinions! The important thing is to explode with the story, to emotionalize it, not to think it. If you start to think it, the story’s going to die on its feet. It’s like anything else… People who take books on sex to bed become frigid — you get self-conscious.You can’t think a story — you can’t think, “I shall do a story to improve mankind.” It’s nonsense! All the great stories, all the really worthwhile plays, are emotional experiences. If you have to ask yourself whether you love a girl, or whether you love a boy, forget it — you don’t! A story is the same way — you either feel a story and need to write it, or you’d better not write it.[…]You write to please yourself. You write for the joy of writing. And then your public reads you and it begins to gather around…The enthusiasm, the joy itself draws me — so that means, every day of my life, I’ve written. When the joy stops, I’ll stop writing."

You Can't Think a Story

This to me was the best thing I've heard on writing for a while. So what is the difference between thinking and feeling a story? To me, "thinking " a story is working out the plot, developing a clever idea that would make a snappy little tale. "Feeling' the story is either having a call to write about a particular thing you feel strongly about, or starting a story with an essence and let the words flow from that emotion.Bradbury might not have  meant this at all, but that's how I look at the written word. It's not that I don't plot - of course I do at a certain level - especially with a novel. But with a short story, the mood of the piece needs to carry you forward to allow the story to unfold.[tweetthis]All the great stories, all the really worthwhile plays, are emotional experiences ~ Ray Bradbury[/tweetthis]How do you like to write? Do you plot and plan? Do you pick a theme? Do you start with a freewrite,no clue as to how the story is going to unfold? 

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How to Express the Golden Gate Homesick Blues

A.K. Andrew,akandrew.com,a writers notebook ,Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point

A.K. Andrew,akandrew.com,a writers notebook ,Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point

We're coming to the end of National Poetry Month and I want to share a poem I wrote a few years ago in a poetry workshop. I was living in England at the time, feeling very homesick for San Francisco, as well as nostalgic for a time when I was more mobile than I am now.So this was the result - the first poem I'd written since I was a child, in fact. For this collection of emotions, I found the process of writing a poem very cathartic.The location is the waterfront near to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point. For those of you who remember the scene in Vertigo where Kim Novak falls in the water - that's where I'm talking about!

Fort Point

A.K. Andrew, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge, akandrew.com,a writers notebook

A.K. Andrew, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge, akandrew.com,a writers notebook

Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge

Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge

Ghosts of blue-bellies dash between chill, meagre quartersRunning up concrete stepsRunning up the flag ofthe Red Brick FortAlone facing the Pacific OceanNow nestled beneath rumbling red girders of the Bridge.An Alliance of Gateway and Protector ofThe CityOur City.White foamy tentacles crash, splitRusting chain links,Goliath chainServing only to taunt, not protectA leap to the rocks or giant watery mouth inviting init’s enormity, its moving depth beckoning.Agonizing beauty surround once morePacific blasts tearing at hair and heartA white rogue wave rises uphitting crumbling brick, splashing medrenchingHer.Laughing stillwe cycle home on the bays blue edgewarmed by love, vigour,youth.

I found the process of writing a poem very cathartic

How do you feel about happy memories? Does it make you sad to think of them and wish that things were still the same, or do you feel fortunate to have had the good times to look back on? Perhaps you don't like to dwell on the past at all, but prefer to look forward rather than back.

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Oscar Wilde:120th Trial Anniversary in National #Poetry Month

Oscar Wilde in New York

Oscar Wilde in New York

April 3rd 2015 marks the 120th anniversary of the start of the trial of Oscar Wilde that went to court in 1895. Ironically it was Wilde himself that pushed for the court hearing, ignoring advice of friends, after the Marquess of Queensbury left her calling card with the note:"For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite" Wilde picked up the gauntlet and sadly paid dearly to clear his name. While imprisoned for 2yrs, his health deteriorated and he died a few years later in 1900.Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish author, playwright, but also a poet. As April is national Poetry Month, I thought it appropriate to look at his work. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, his plays, as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death.My favorite epigram is actually the one most quoted:

“We are all in gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” ~ Oscar Wilde

Trials of Oscar Wilde

English: Card of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of...

English: Card of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of...

English: The Wilde Trial as recorded in The Il...

English: The Wilde Trial as recorded in The Il...

Oscar Wilde was renowned for his quick wit, which he maintained through much of the trial proceedings. Here is a small snippet from the trial:G--Your view, Mr. Wilde, is that the "shame" mentioned here is that shame which is a sense of modesty?W--That was the explanation given to me by the person who wrote it.  The sonnet seemed to me obscure.G--During 1893 and 1894 You were a good deal in the company of Lord Alfred Douglas?W--Oh, yes.G--Did he read that poem to you?W--Yes.G--You can, perhaps, understand that such verses as these would not be acceptable to the reader with an ordinarily balanced mind?W--I am not prepared to say.  It appears to me to be a question of taste, temperament and individuality.  I should say that one man's poetry is another man's poison! (Laughter.)

Wilde’s Poetry

By the Arno The oleander on the wallGrows crimson in the dawning light,Though the grey shadows of the nightLie yet on Florence like a pall.The dew is bright upon the hill,And bright the blossoms overhead,But ah! The grasshoppers have fled,The little Attic song is still.Only the leaves are gently stirredBy the soft breathing of the gale,And in the almond-scented valeThe lonely nightingale is hard.The day will make thee silent soon,O nightingale sing on for love!While yet upon the shadowy groveSplinter the arrows of the moon.Before across the silent lawnOn sea-green vest the morning steals,And to one’s frightened eyes revealsThe long white fingers of the dawn.Fast climbing up the eastern skyTo grasp and slay the shuddering night,All careless of my hearts delight,Or if the nightingale should die. By Oscar Wilde(First published in 1876 in the Dublin University Magazine.)It’s interesting to me that a man with such caustic wit, known for comedic plays, could also write such sensitive verse, which such delicate phrasing.What do you think of most when you remember Oscar Wilde? His trial, his novel "The Picture of Dorian Grey", his plays, his  epigrams or his poetry?

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Does Internet Dopamine Stop You from #Reading #Books?

a.k. andrew, akandrew.com a writers notebook,readingWhere do you get your nightly dose of dopamine? No, let me put that a different way... What is your preferred visual stimulation of choice before you go to sleep? Watching a movie, the TV, going online and catching up on email, tweeting, texting, Facebook etc... or reading a book?Come on, let's be honest. I guarantee at least half of you did not go for the book reading option. So why is that? What's happened to our bedtime story?This is from a Post published by Susan Weinschenk Ph.D. on Sep 11, 2012 in Brain Wise which says that "Dopamine makes you addicted to seeking information in an endless loop."  This is from Susan's post:

Pleasure vs. seeking 

 You may have heard that dopamine controls the "pleasure" systems of the brain: that dopamine makes you feel enjoyment, pleasure, and therefore motivates you to seek out certain behaviors, such as food, sex, and drugs. Recent research is changing this view. Instead of dopamine causing you to experience pleasure, the latest research shows that dopamine causes seeking behavior. Dopamine causes you to want, desire, seek out, and search.

Rewards of the Dopamine Loop

So what that's telling us is that one tweet is never enough. We are going to continuously reward ourselves by searching for more information, more connection however tenuous it might be online. Who wouldn't want to be rewarded each time we perform any of these tasks? And there is a sense of accomplishment that we have achieved something. What's not to like?This next part is from a more recent article published in the Guardian in January 2015, and is from a book by Daniel J. Levitin.

In a famous experiment, my McGill colleagues Peter Milner and James Olds, both neuroscientists, placed a small electrode in the brains of rats, in a small structure of the limbic system called the nucleus accumbens. This structure regulates dopamine production and is the region that “lights up” when gamblers win a bet, drug addicts take cocaine, or people have orgasms – Olds and Milner called it the pleasure centre. A lever in the cage allowed the rats to send a small electrical signal directly to their nucleus accumbens. Do you think they liked it? Boy how they did! They liked it so much that they did nothing else. They forgot all about eating and sleeping. Long after they were hungry, they ignored tasty food if they had a chance to press that little chrome bar; they even ignored the opportunity for sex. The rats just pressed the lever over and over again, until they died of starvation and exhaustion. Does that remind you of anything? A 30-year-old man died in Guangzhou (China) after playing video games continuously for three days. Another man died in Daegu (Korea) after playing video games almost continuously for 50 hours, stopped only by his going into cardiac arrest........ But remember, it is the dumb, novelty-seeking portion of the brain driving the limbic system that induces this feeling of pleasure, not the planning, scheduling, higher-level thought centres in the prefrontal cortex. Make no mistake: email-, Facebook- and Twitter-checking constitute a neural addiction.© Daniel J. Levitin. Extracted from The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, published by Viking

Short attention Span

My concern is that all of this information that we constantly both receive and dispatch, essentially leads not to successful multitasking, but to a short attention span. And that is not something you can have if you want to read a book amongst other things.  What I've been in the habit of doing is to start reading and then feel compelled to look up the meaning of a word, or see exactly what part of the world is the author talking about, or when was that in relation to the first moon landing etc etc. Minutiae that I either dont need or could find out later, but have felt the need to immediately find out while I'm reading a novel!!!

Banished from the Bedside

So what I've been doing recently is banning all  electronic devices from my bedside table, as I was often 'just quickly checking my email, twitter, Facebook account, etc, and before you know it an hour or even two had gone by, my eyes were closing and gone was my reading time! So I've been focusing on books and felt more relaxed for doing so.

Bright Lights

I've also read that the bright light from any kind of display monitor also simulates day time which is obviously not very conducive to sleep. How that works for ebooks I'm not sure, but one does tend to have the screen a little darker at night.So I've just started reading The Gold Finch by Donna Tartt and at 700+ pages, I'm going to definitely need to focus on my reading time. And as a writer, as I mentioned in my last post on writing tips, that is essential.Ak.K. Andrew, akandrew.com TheWriters Notebook, The Goldfinch, by Donna TarttWhat is your opinion on visual stimulation before you go to bed in particular? And what about the Dopamine Loop-do you find it effects you in the ways described? If so what's the answer?

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How Many of These 12 Essential #Writing Tips Do You Use?

All writers - authors, bloggers, journalists, screenwriters - have writing tips that help them.  I feel these twelve are essential for all writers.

1. Write

It may seem obvious that writing is the best way to improve your craft,  but without deadlines, it’s easy to slip into the habit of not writing. I’ve recently picked up an old habit of handwriting something, however short,  in a notebook each day. Most days it’s not the only writing I do, but some days it is, and that very act keeps me in touch with who I am - a writer!

2. Read

Read anything and everything you can find the time to put your hands on. Listen to books or articles if it’s not possible to read. Reading is the second best thing you can do to learn how to write well. Check out my post on #Authors, an Infinite Resource. which shows how we have an endless resource from the world of books and authors in print.A.K. Andrew,akandrew.com a Writer's Notebook,writing tips, books

3. Explore the World Around You

Inspiration can come in many forms, but most characters whether in fiction or non-fiction are based on real people, however larger than life we end up making them. So sit in a cafe and eavesdrop. Public transportation is a perfect way to overhear what people say, and if you’re lucky you might glean a few different accents too.

4. Embrace the First Shitty Draft

I love the phrase “First Shitty Draft” and first heard it from Catherine Smith , my tutor during my initial semester at my Creative Writing Certificate course at the University of Sussex, UK. It's such an appropriate phrase and an essential part of the process. Just write the thing down before you do more than a cursory edit, otherwise you’ll slow the process and potentially lose your train of thought & interrupt the creative flow.

5. DON’T Share Your Work in Progress with….

...friends and family. Generally speaking , and there are always exceptions, I think it’s a bad idea. They are not going to give you impartial advice and if you’re unlucky may even become a negative influence on your self confidence.

6. DO Share Your Work in Progress with ….

... other writers. There’s a point where we need to write alone, and not be interrupted by other peoples views of what we’ve written. But after a certain point, it is good to get feedback from other writers you trust, and who’s opinion you value. These impromptu editors will be more and less skilled in the ability to critique. Jeri Walker -Bickett wrote a great post about The Necessity of Critique Groups which I recommend you check out. You will find at the very least a camaraderie about the process you are going through, and most likely the fresh eye your work needs.

7. Be Passionate about Your Work

If you’re not passionate about your subject matter it will show in your work. And for a novelist, it will be an unbearable long slog to get the book finished. So choose your subjects carefully if it’s anything but a short article.

8. Exercise

Writing is a usually a sedentary practice, and makes it even more more important for writers to get physical exercise. Murakami wrote a great book called What I Talk about When I Talk about Running, which is mainly an insight into his writing habits. But exercise does a body good in many ways, not only your heart and lungs etc, but your brain, as well. Who knows what you might see on your morning walk? The other morning I saw a snake!

9. Don’t Give Up

It’s hard to finish projects sometimes - any projects actually. Garages across the world are a testament to unfinished projects. But it’s even easier with writing to say it’s not good enough or I’m bored, or it’s too hard, or whatever. Sound familiar? The world is full of people who have lots of great ideas, and lots of half finished manuscripts, short stories and articles stuck in a drawer or file gathering dust on their computer. Do you want to be one of them, or do you want to put your work out in the world? If so, don’t give up.

10. Write New Creative Work During the Revision Process

If you’re a writer, you’re going to spend a lot of time revising or editing. After all  "All writing is re-writing". But if you’re a novelist you may spend years in the revision process. I think it’s important to write new creative work even during your big edit. It's realistic if you stick with a short work - flash fiction, or a short story. It’s a very different skill set to edit than to write new work, so don’t get too out of practice with the latter.A.K. Andrew, akandrew.com, writing tips

11. Don’t Become an Isolated Writer

I feel it’s essential to seek out other writers, not only to help with critiques, but also to not feel isolated. Find other writers where you live if possible and talk about your work, or problems that might arise because of it. Social Media is also a great place to meet other writers and I’ve made good writer friends through a variety of online groups. It’s another way of being out in the world, and hearing new voices, opening yourself up to new information and experiences.

12. Learn to Accept Criticism

This is absolutely essential for any writer who wants to have their work published. Not only as I mentioned, will you get constructive criticism from your critique buddies, but you will also -hopefully - get feedback from your readers, and not all of it will be positive. So develop a thick skin early on in the process. I was surprised how unnerving I found blogging when I first started, as it puts your opinions out into the world. I’ve been lucky that I've had a lot of support from other bloggers. But I’ve made mistakes, and had a bunch of rejection letters from prospective agents for my novels too. You just do the best you can, change the work as necessary, and realise people will have different opinions to yours, which only makes life more interesting.

Believe in yourself. Isn’t that the most important thing of all that will help you continue your life as a writer?    ~   A.K. Andrew

What writing tips do you use?  What good one’s do you have that I’ve not listed? What have you found the best or most difficult aspect of being a writer? 

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Rebecca Whitney: The Liar's Chair & Traditional Publishing

the-liars-chair-2.jpeg
Author interview: Rebecca Whitney

Rebecca Whitney ,akandrew.com, A.K.AndrewReaders are being treated this winter to a new wave of thrillers coming mostly from the UK. One of these exciting new writers is Rebecca Whitney, whose debut novel The Liar's Chair, was published by Mantle, an imprint of Macmillan, on January 15th. The novel was featured in the prestigious Sunday Times and The Observer just prior to it's launch, and Whitney herself has recently had articles published in The Independent, Telegraph, Hunger and Buzzfeed. So I'm totally thrilled she has agreed to do an interview for Writer's Notebook.

1. Congratulations on the publication of The Liar's Chair Rebecca! Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

The story follows Rachel Teller, an affluent and successful women who is going off the rails, but she has no idea why. After spending the night at her lover’s house, and still drunk from the night before, she drives to the luxury home she shares with her controlling husband David. The weather is terrible and she drives too fast, and she knocks over and kills a homeless man on a country lane. In her panic she decides to hide the body. Later her husband coerces her into telling him the truth, and he convinces her to return to life as normal. But guilt begins to unravel her, and she seeks out old addictive habits, and self-destructive behaviour, which tips her marriage into the danger zone as she tries to atone for the crime she has committed. In the process she begins to have insights into her forgotten past, revealing some of the reasons she has made so many mistakes.

2.Rachel, the main protagonist is a rather dark character, some might say unlikeable. I ultimately found her to be sympathetic. Did you intend to make her as dark as she is, or did the plot force your hand on the way you portrayed her character ?

It’s up to the reader to make up their own mind about who and what is excusable, but I didn’t intend Rachel to be so ‘un-liked’. I did however intend her to be deeply flawed and difficult to empathise with at the beginning of the book. The point being that, towards the end, as you understand more of how she came to be the person she is, the reader gains some sympathy and connection with her as we see her strength in making it as far as she has. It’s about reassessing the judgements we all make about people when we first meet them; everyone has junk in their past, and much of that baggage goes towards the decisions and actions they make in the present.The plot did very much force my hand as I wanted to show a person unravelling, who chose the most damaging path possible with her warped and personal idea of justice. Some of the decisions she makes are extremely questionable, and they create a character who has ruffled a few of my reader’s feathers. But I am happy that she inspired big reactions rather than none at all. Ultimately she is interesting, and it is compelling to watch her descend to the depths she does, and hopefully that hooks the reader into the story, so it shouldn’t matter if a character is liked to make the book readable.The Liars Chair, Rebecca Whitney,akandrew.com,A.K. Andrew

3. I liked that you included the issue of domestic abuse into the thriller genre, which is very unusual and gives the novel much more depth. Why did you choose to include this issue and what in general triggered the novel?

The issue of domestic abuse is very important to me as I think it’s still a vastly understood area. Many people question why a woman (or indeed a man) would stay in a relationship where he or she is being subjected to such coercion and often violence. I was keen to demonstrate the mental manipulation and self-esteem bashing that goes towards stopping the victim from leaving. Many women who are subjected to this kind of abuse fear for their safety and they cannot get away without serious protection, but it is very hard to translate this torment to the outside world without people thinking the victims are somehow colluding in the abuse simply by remaining in the relationship. Often these women are very strong as they are battling constant assaults on their psyche.What inspired the novel was the idea of how a single tragic event can change the course of someone’s life completely. I was interested in how an external force can compel us to take a good look at ourselves, to address issues we’ve been avoiding, and how sometimes that event can feel quiet random, but strangely timely. My thinking is that often we play a part in the process, even if we don’t know it. In Rachel’s case, she didn’t have any idea that the man would be walking the road that day or that the weather would be so bad, but she chased the disaster by her reckless and extreme behaviour. She is the kind of person who has to reach rock bottom before she can make the changes she needs, and on a subconscious level, that is what she is seeking.

4.How does it feel to have your work published and in the hands of your readers?

It’s great and also terrifying. When people talk to me about the characters in the book, it can feel very strange as I’ve lived with these beings in my head for such a long time now, and suddenly they are out in the world and open to critique. But it’s also very satisfying when readers connect with the characters or the mood or the plot or the prose. It makes all those tortured hours at my computer worth it!

5. Many writers consciously choose the route of self-publishing, but you decided to go with traditional publishing. What made you decide to go that route, and was it hard to find an agent?

I hadn’t considered the self-publishing route, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t have gone down that road if I felt that the traditional route wasn’t open to me. I was very keen to have professional input on my work, as for me it was validation that I was doing it right. Also, since I received representation, the book has gone through a couple of big edits with my agent - Sue Armstrong at Conville and Walsh - and then my editor - Sophie Orme at Mantle - and it has definitely improved. I’m obviously extremely lucky to be working with professionals who’s judgement I trust, but I do think having an outside opinion can build on what you already have and make it much more marketable.I found an agent on my first round of submissions which was really wonderful, and part of that I believe was making the manuscript as polished as it could possibly be at that point. There really was very little else I could have done without professional input. Also my agent said that the title caught her attention, and that’s why she picked it off the pile.

6.It's early days, but can you tell us what support you have had in going the more traditional route that you would not have had if you were self published? Perhaps you can tell us from the point at which you found an agent.

Being guided through rewrites by supportive and clever people - my agent and editor - was brilliant. My agent knew which publishing houses to approach, and which editors were keen to look at the kind of work I had produced. Both agent and publisher are always available for any questions, and have been very helpful in placing my book in the genre it’s in, guiding me through that process. Having a marketing and press department behind me has also been invaluable, without which my novel wouldn’t have received a fraction of the coverage it has. My publicist - Sam Eades - has set up lots of events as well as sending the book out to reviewers and contacting press to commission the features I have written. I wouldn’t have known where to begin doing it on my own.

7.What are a couple of favorite authors you enjoy reading?

I love Helen Dunmore, Cormac McCarthy, Barbara Kingsolver, Donna Tartt, Alice Monroe, Richard Yates to name just a few.

8.Who do you feel was your biggest influence in writing The Liar's Chair?

That’s such a difficult question, as it’s been such an eclectic process. I love films, theatre and music as well as literature, and because the time it took to write the book was quite long, many of these things came in to play at various points as an influence over the whole.

9.What are you working on at the moment? When can we expect to see your next novel?

I’m working on another contemporary psychological thriller but it’s not a sequel to The Liar’s Chair. It’s about a new mother who is struggling with PND, and she thinks she witnesses a serious crime. She has to make the decision between not bringing any more questions upon her sanity and ability to care for her child, or whether to discover what she has seen is real, and attempt to bring the crime out into the open. Realistically it will be out late 2016 or ’17.

10.Where can readers connect with you or where can they find The Liar's Chair?

You can  contact me through my own website http://www.rebeccawhitney.co.uk/and I have an Amazon Author page, and I’m on Goodreads . For social media sites you'll find me on: FacebookTwitter @RebeccaJWhitneyPinterestSpotify and Pan Macmillan Author Page.  I'm hoping soon to have a US publisher, but in the meantime, you can buy the book from Amazon. (see link below). UK customers only can also buy the The Liar's Chair on Kindle.What's your opinion of traditional publishing v. self-publishing? Which would you choose? What do you think of using a psychological thriller to raise the issue of domestic violence?Come join the discussion, and please share this post on your favorite social media. 

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To Kill a Mockingbird - Do you want to read the sequel?

Harper Lee,A.K Andrew, akandrew.com

Have you ever finished a novel and wished you knew what happened to the characters after the final page has been turned? It looks as if you may be able to have that experience with one of America's greatest classics. Last week it was announced that Harper Lee is going to release another novel after 55 yrs, somewhat of a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The new novel, Go Set A Watchman, is set to be released by HarperCollins on July 14th, 2015, with an initial print run of two million copies. It's set twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird, in the fictional town of Macomb, Alabama when Jean Louise Finch , or "Scout" goes back to visit her father. The novel, with similarities To Kill a Mockingbird, deals with the racial tensions of the 1950s, as well as the complex relationship between father and daughter.It seems that the manuscript, which was recently found in Ms. Harper's boxes in storage, was written before To Kill a Mockingbird, and was the first manuscript she tried to get published. Ms Lee was a young writer - as yet unpublished- and took the advice given by her editor who liked Scout's flashbacks and thought the real story should be about Scout as a young girl. And so Harper Lee went back and revised her manuscript and To Kill a Mockingbird became her first novel, and the classic that has been translated into more than 40 languages and has sold over 30 million copies.

“I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told,” Ms. Lee said in a statement released by her publisher.

 My initial excitement of a new novel by Harper Lee was at first tempered by the thought that perhaps the manuscript would not be as good as the classic. But then I thought even if it wouldn't be, why should it matter? In fact as a writer, I was interested in reading the story that was the genesis for the final novel published back in 1960. Often the story a novelist starts out to write turns out to be something completely different, and the one that was meant to be told comes out. I had this experience myself with my first novel. It was initially set in Berkeley, CA in 1969, but ended up being set in Italy in the 1940s.Harper Lee, A.K. Andrew,akandrew.comI read a couple more articles about the upcoming publication of Go Set A Watchman, and the questions that were raised surrounded the issue of whether Ms. Lee is actually involved in the process. Harper Lee is now 88 and lives in an Assisted Living facility in Monroeville, Alabama. She is both deaf and blind, and until recently her affairs had been largely looked after by her sister Alice who died last year at 104. Obviously the family must have used a lawyer too. But now that Alice is no longer there to monitor Harper Lee's affairs, the question has been asked as to who exactly has control over the situation, or been negotiating the deal with HarperCollins, and ultimately who will benefit from the publication of a book that is destined to be a big seller?I suspect that we, as the general public will never know all the answers, and certainly not at the moment, and will have to be satisfied with speculation. So I am going to look at it from the perspective of both a reader and a writer, and hope that Ms. Lee herself will have at least some benefit from the publication, and that her fans are given an opportunity to see a little more of her journey of becoming the talented author that wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm not expecting Go Set A Watchman to be as polished, as indeed it's being published without the benefit of the level of editing usually given a published work, so that it is true to Harper Lee's original manuscript.This is probably a unique situation actually, as most 'lost' manuscripts tend to turn up after the writer has died. However convoluted the unanswered questions behind the scenes may be, I feel grateful that we are being treated to more of Harper Lee's writing, and I hope she gets the accolades she will doubtless deserve once the book reaches publication.Screenshot of To Kill a Mockingbird(an America... What's your opinion of the upcoming sequel? Are you excited? Do you have concerns about it? Would you rather To Kill A Mockingbird remain Ms. Lee's only novel?Come join the discussion, and please share this post on your favorite social media. 

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Do you Want to Start #Writing Like #Steinbeck?

John Steinbeck Photo,A.k. Andrew,akandrew.com,A Writers Notebook 

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the the film release of Grapes of Wrath so I thought it was appropriate to re-purpose this post. If you want to start writing like Steinbeck, then take a look at some of the things he found important and include them in your writing. "Learn from the best"

John Steinbeck’s writing methodology was stringent and meticulous. When writer's you love talk about how they write, it’s hard not listen.Steinbeck really wanted Grapes of Wrath to be good  - exposing the exploitation of people in 1930’s Southern California, was a story he thought needed telling. I re-read the novel a while ago, and the style blew me away.

[tweetthis] "Nothing about The Grapes of Wrath is dated."[/tweetthis]

It's incredibly refreshing to read a book with such valuable social commentary that's also just a damn good story. Part of its success lies in the fact that we live, eat and sleep with the Joad family. Everything is personal, so we care about what happens to the characters, and it allows us to see the injustice very clearly, without the point being hammered home. Steinbeck simply tells a story.Below is part of John Steinbeck’s interview in the Paris Review*(Please note: Steinbeck died in 1968. A lot of the quotes were compiled in Steinbeck: A Life in Letters and published in October 1975 by Viking. Hence the Paris Review article was not until 1975.)The comments in italics are mine.

 ON GETTING STARTED
Now let me give you the benefit of my experience in facing 400 pages of blank stock—the appalling stuff that must be filled. I know that no one really wants the benefit of anyone's experience which is probably why it is so freely offered. But the following are some of the things I have had to do to keep from going nuts.
 1. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish.

Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.This is the most important one & can’t be said too often. One page at a time.

 2. Write freely

...and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material. Don’t worry about anyone looking over your shoulder. Just get the work written. Good tip for all of us procrastinators.

 3. Forget your generalized audience.

In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn't exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.I’ve heard this before, and I think it's an excellent way to keep yourself on track. You can't write for everyone. So write for one.

4. If a scene or a section gets the better of you

...and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.Rewriting – its all there is. But don't be afraid to write non-sequentially. Sometimes one just isn't in the mood to write about a dramatic moment, so switch gears and go to a section you do want to write today.

 5. Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you,

...dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.Tough to give them up isn’t it?

 6. If you are using dialogue

...say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.Excellent tip. If you read it out loud it will sound strained immediately if it’s not working.On my writers resources page I refer to his book Working Days, which is the diary he kept while he was writing Grapes of Wrath. (He wrote his first draft in 6 months BTW!). It’s a great book for writers if only to show how persistent one has to be to make the end product worthwhile.Signature of John Steinbeck,a.k. andrew,akandrew.com a writer's notebookAre these methods  you can work with? Do you have different ways of attacking the same problems? 

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*Paris Review has rich resource material in their decades of interviews of famous people, writers included.I first saw part of this particular interview in one of my favorite blogs www.brainpickings.org

Margaret #Atwood #Writing New Beginnings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but one resolution I do have is that I want to make time for new writing. And by that, I don't mean editing or revising, but new fiction. To that end, I came across this quote by Margaret Atwood from a Paris Review Interview in 1990.

“Every novel is—at the beginning—the same opening of a door onto a completely unknown space.”       ~ Margaret Atwood 1990, Paris Review

I thought it was a very fitting start for the New Year. A new beginning.

As we know, beginning something is easy. How a new gym membership pans out after that crucial six week mark is the telling point and when things can become a little more difficult.

 In saying I'm making a commitment to new fiction,  I may need to reduce my blogging time, or at least reduce how much time I spend on each blog. But nothing's written in stone. It's all still a new beginning right?But what will I write? I can't be specific, but I have been enjoying re-learning how to write short stories over the past couple of months. It is quite a change from the previous years I've spent on novel writing. But I'm still querying agents with my second novel, Under The Bed. And I'm revising my first novel, Radio Echo so...who know's...the year is young. Let's see how quickly I can write!English: Author Margaret Atwood attends a read...

In the same interview with Margaret Atwood, the interview asks "Do writers perceive differently than others? Is there anything unique about the writer’s eye?" An interesting question I thought. This is part of her response:-

 The unique thing about writers is that they write. Therefore they are pickier about words, at least on paper. But everyone “writes” in a way; that is, each person has a “story”—a personal narrative—which is constantly being replayed, revised, taken apart, and put together again. The significant points in this narrative change as a person ages—what may have been tragedy at twenty is seen as comedy or nostalgia at forty. All children “write.” (And paint, and sing.) I suppose the real question is why do so many people give it up. Intimidation, I suppose. Fear of not being good. Lack of time.

To me that was an important point, because I often ask myself why is this important to me, why do I feel the need to keep creating new worlds to populate? I think it's important to me not to quit as much as anything else. But I also need to have something to say, to have a comment on the world in the work. It's not that I wouldn't consider writing, for example a light romance. I certainly have great admiration for those who do so and do it well. But for me, if I'm going to spend three + years on a 100,000 word novel, it has to say something. Whether I succeed or not is another matter, but I need to at least try.  There has to be a purpose behind the work, not just storytelling for story telling's sake.

The year is new, and January is a good month for lofty goals. What are yours?

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P.D. James - A #Writing Life of Crime

This is my last post for 2014, and in looking back over the year I wanted to remember one of the writers who died this year, British crime writer P.D. James. She was 94 yrs old.[embed]https://www.flickr.com/photos/faberandfaber/2850161383/in/photolist-hz4bs4-dYym4s-hj7CKw-6uNvpi-foSfQN-qgKqcG-5kRPFv-5kVZ6S-5kVZcA-79SyMm-4KgvRD-dg9n2f-7ysTcK-5kVZ7S-comjZA-4jXhk9-5kVZa9-5kVZ3Y-5kRJ2x-5kVZbN-sqogs-eWKRc2-bZK2nf-5WB5Lf-dYt7mi-dYyiQW-foBZ6R-5kRHX2-4KkMWy-4KgvN6-4KkMPS-8Xwe85-4KkMSS-4KgvQR-b8zRq8-4qHvDH-h2yx39-632mMr-xCL7R-dRK26C-9DWyQB-8AZfWa-6YNAoi-aoot2o-eYh2vr-cbMyUm-8Y75kZ-72R6om-aootXf-D1yEy[/embed]Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known as P. D. James, was one of the first crime writers I ever read. Although P.D. James didn't publish her first book until she was 42, she went on to become one of the most prolific crime writer's in the UK and took the  genre far beyond her predecessors of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.Many of P.D. James's novels take place against the backdrop of UK bureaucracies, such as the criminal justice system and the National Health Service, in which she worked for decades starting in the 1940s. Two years after the publication of Cover Her Face in 1962,  she took a position as a civil servant within the criminal section of the Home Office. She worked in government service until her retirement in 1979.I thought this quote was great for looking back over the year.

“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”P.D. JamesA Taste for Death

I was born in England, so know exactly what P.D. James is talking about. But I think it probably applies to all of us. We have an image of things in our mind, which may in fact just be a quintessential moment that has existed, but doesn't happen too often. And so our faulty memory becomes the truth with which we live.It's hard to remember everything that's happened over the span of a year, good and bad. But if we don't get it quite right, what's wrong with having memories that might be a little rosy? Maybe that's just me. After all, I am a fiction writer.Cover of "A Taste for Death (TV Tie-in)",A.K. Andrew.akandew.comThanks to all my readers for your support and comments throughout the year, and I look forward to seeing you in 2015.

Happy Holidays!

Which writer or celebrity do you most remember who died in 2014?

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