The Writer’s Corner….an interview with author, Ann Purser (part 2)

(continued from January 15th) **An interview with Ann Purser**

Anyway, to resume: My husband was asked to write a TV critic column in a show biz paper, and he said how much? and they said thirty bob, and he said “My old woman would do it for that!” And they said, “would she?” So I did, for several years, until SHE popped up again and said would I like to do a page each month, an interview with a lovely show biz person. So I did it for six years, and loved it.

Skipping lightly over a job in the village school, running an art gallery, and harbouring many pet animals, including a donkey – Now, to my first novel, this was a story of village life, and Orion took it on, and gave me a commission for six more. So I did those, and then wrote a murder mystery called Murder on Monday, which nobody wanted to publish. Then luckily, a very nice man called Edwin at Severn House Publishing, said he would do it, and that started my career as a mystery novelist. Six of these were slotted by those who like pigeon-holing, into a category called Cozies. Nuff said.

Actually, with the music playing, I am quite able to shut out extraneous other noises. I can usually work fast and have never (crossing all fingers) had writers` block. There is no telephone in Harriet`s House, and my husband (same one) keeps callers at bay.

One of your questions, about `no book` to `finished book`, had me thinking. By now, I have evolved a habit of starting a new book immediately after finishing the last. Then it gets a bit mixed up when I have copy editing etc. to do. But my present publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, Penguin US, is expert and wonderful, and so everything slots into place. At the moment I am writing two books a year.

Inspiration? There`s a thing. Who knows where it comes from? A fevered imagination in my case, probably. But with Lois Meade, there was a specific point when the wheels began to turn. My cleaning lady (with us for thirty years) said one day, half way down the stairs, “I`ve often thought I`d like to be a detective. I get to hear and see a lot of things in my job.” And there it was, handed to me on a plate.

Ivy Beasley, the elderly detective in my second series, is the only person based on a real one. She was a single lady of some years who was awkward, independent and once asked the parish council to investigate the theft of her knickers from the washing line. She is sadly now deceased, and I hope her heavenly knickers are left undisturbed.

So that`s enough about me, Trish! Apologies if I have not answered vital questions. All the best, and carry on the good work. Ann. **********

Start your month off right!! DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS continuing A NEW SERIES, “The Writer’s Corner” INTERVIEWS with other best selling AUTHORS!

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and plan on featuring an interview at least once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!
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The Writer’s Corner…an interview with author, Ann Purser (part 1)

Do other writers (like me) sometimes find themselves at 4 in the afternoon still in their pajamas, writing furiously? Do all of their #2 pencils have to be sharpened before they can begin?

I thought my readers might enjoy hearing about other authors‘ writing processes. So I created a Question & Answer-type Interview and then began contacting some of my favorite authors to ask them to participate. The response has been wonderful and I can’t wait to share it with you.

My first interview was with British author, Ann Purser. www.annpurser.com She is best known for her witty and charming (and beautifully written) mysteries in a small English village. The main character, Lois Meade and her band of ‘cleaners’ make for a sometimes hilarious but cunning read. Ann was so generous with her answers that I have made this interview into a two-parter. I hope you enjoy her fascinating journey as much as I did!

I asked questions like: Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? What is your mode of writing? Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative? Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing and for how long? When did you begin to write seriously?

and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

**An Interview with author, Ann Purser**

Hi Trish! Nice of you to invite me – so here goes.

You ask me lots of questions which I will try to answer: I write in an annexe originally built for disabled daughter and called Harriet`s House. All switches at wheelchair height, and handy loo and shower. Five mornings a week, I am in there pounding away at the keyboard and blessing whoever it was who invented the computer, since the Delete button is so much quicker than a grubby pink typewriter rubber. First thing to do is find a cd – I have music playing always, since we live next to the village school, and the deafening noise the little dears make is quite remarkable!

English, born in Leicestershire. Tried my hand at many things, details of which are boringly on my website, but eventually was driven to write a book. I say driven, because at that time my eight year old daughter, born prematurely, was struggling with cerebral palsy, and I was struggling with managing her, plus two subsequent energetic little ones. My husband – a writer and critic – once Critic of the Year – got so fed up with listening to my moans that he said “Why don`t you write down how you feel, and we`ll send it to SHE magazine.”

NOW, it so happens that the editor at that time was an ex-girlfriend of said husband, and she very nicely featured my burblings on a couple of pages. There were pictures of my daughter, very delicate and heart-breakingly pretty, and of me looking vacant.

It was a start, and although I didn’t follow it up for some time, I was asked by the Spastics Society to help write a book for parents. Not technical, not preachy, just based on our experiences. Did this, and it came in pink hard covers, and some good reviews. You and Your Handicapped Child was followed by a school book with the snappy title, Looking Back at Popular Entertainment, 1901-1931. Writing this taught me a lot about research, and the nicest part was finding old photos of show biz stars from the Hulton Picture Library.

“We don`t want to know all this,” I hear you say. But the fact is, and I`m sure other writers will bear me out on this, nothing in one`s experience, whether years ago or yesterday, should be wasted. Tiny things, like Ivy Beasley`s mother`s voice in her head, float up to be remembered and used.

.……..to be continued on January 17th. Hope you’ll join us!

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Can you write?

Can you write: if your #2 pencils are not sharpened? If your desk is messy or clean? If you haven’t showered? If the wrong music is playing?

I have been writing non-stop since seven in the morning. I got up, fed the dogs and the cat, put on my pot of tea, put the dogs out, washed my face, brought the dogs in, and then sat down just to check my e-mail. It’s one o’clock in the afternoon and I’m still in my night-gown with a T-shirt hurriedly thrown over it, bare footed, , drinking cold tea, and still at it. My cat is sprawled over my desk to the left of the keyboard (for once, she’s not walking on it, adding words I don’t want, like ddddrrrrzzzzzzzzz and qqqqqqqppppbbb4bbbb.) I am in my studio surrounded by art that I love, mementos that I have collected, photos of people I love or have loved, and my siren’s song calls……..

I’m probably undiagnosed ADD because, all at the same time, I’m editing my second children’s book preparing it for audio production, writing this blog, and corresponding with my producer for the new audio-book.

These are some of my rituals as I greet each day. I thought it would be fun to read about other authors’ rituals and processes in a casual and intimate look behind the scenes into their world. The new series begins this Tuesday, Jan. 15th.

I have had a wonderful response from other authors and plan on featuring an interview at least once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser (our first interview) Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Mark Childress, Charles Bukowski, Elizabeth Gilbert, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.

So come along with me, we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!

Hope that your story doesn’t come out the way that you had planned!

Lillian Hellman once said, “Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped.”

As a writer, that has happened to me over and over. At first, in the early days of writing, I was appalled that the story was going somewhere that I had not planned for. The characters would lead me down paths that I had no intention of going down or writing about. Now I accept this strange phenomenon that happens not just to me but to other writers as well.

A glaring, or perhaps glorious, an example of a story taking an unexpected turn was when I was writing “Women Outside the Walls”. My plan for the storyline was that this would be a cozy little story of three very different women coming together while visiting their men in prison.

A third of the way through this project, Charlie, while sitting in the visiting room of the prison, jumps up, grabs Kitty and holding a shiv (knife) to her throat, takes her hostage. I sat at my keyboard and literally wailed aloud, “No! No, you can’t! I don’t know anything about hostages……or hostage negotiations!” Too late! He’d already dragged Kitty to the back wall and pandemonium had broken out. The prison went on emergency lockdown and there was nothing I could do! There I sat at my keyboard, dead in my tracks.

It took me four months of research on hostage negotiations before I could resume working on my novel. I had not the faintest clue as to how I would finally resolve this room being taken, hostage. And I want to stop here and thank the federal and state hostage negotiators who assisted me in my research. While they would not share any of their techniques, they agreed to look over my story and tell me where I was off base. They allowed me to send them this segment of my novel for them to critique and assisted in keeping my portrayal accurate. Before you CO’s jump all over me about the gun, I did take dramatic license with that.

I have learned to anticipate and enjoy it when the story takes on a life of its own. It’s my fondest wish to become the ‘typist’. When my characters take control and tell me the story!

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Book Review “Sea Change”

Ranking: 1 quill

Wish I could give this book a better review. Where other reviewers site White’s excellent ‘sense of place’ I found it redundant and excessive. It seemed to me its purpose was more of an attempt to bolster a weak story plot.

I found the heroine’s motives and challenges over worked. There wasn’t just one weak, (victim-type) woman in the story; they all seemed, to different degrees, victims. I kept waiting to see one stand up to their man and to what life had dealt out to them and kick some butt. Alas, it never happened.

I have enjoyed some of Karen White’s work but she is inconsistent. I was unable to finish the last few chapters of this story and that’s a rarity for me. Sorry, Karen.

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Hey! Remember….?

….how I’ve been talking about my post-it notes, writing down ideas, thoughts, never throwing away anything that you’ve written? Having a special ‘place’ where you create and write?

It’s so bizarre to read recently that Roald Dahl (1916) espoused the same tenets that I have found to be true for my writing process. Dahl is the author of dozens of brilliant books for young people, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.

I have discovered elements of his process that are as important for writers today as they were for him when he was writing his books more than 60 years ago. Here are some tips from the legendary writer Roald Dahl …

1. Capture every idea

Roald Dahl was never without his notebook. In it, he constantly wrote down ideas for stories, characters, and plots. Sometimes he would hear or read something interesting and he’d record it in case it might be useful for a story. Carrying something to record notes wherever you are is a great lesson for all writers. It needn’t be a paper notebook, but the principle is the same.

You never know where you’ll be when you get your next great idea for a post, a complete outline for a book, or just a seed to develop — and you can guarantee that when you do get these ideas you won’t be sitting at your desk waiting for them, pen poised. As I have mentioned before, I use post-it notes. I also carry a little notebook in my purse. I have a tablet in my car also. I know other writers who use their Evernote app on their phone. It doesn’t matter what you use, toilet paper and a crayon, a bar napkin, an electronic app, use SOMETHING! Did I lose ideas before using this? Definitely! I’d get an idea for a post with a few strong points, but by the time I’d get to writing it down, I’d forget some — or all — of it. I often mull a story over for days or weeks until I reach the point when I’m ready to sit down and write. I thought about my latest short play, “If We Break Up, I’ll Die!” for a couple of weeks and then wrote it in four hours.

Dahl kept a secret diary from the time that he was eight years of age. To keep it out of the hands of his sisters he would keep it in a waterproof tin box and hid it high in a conker tree in the back garden. Every day he would climb up and, sitting in a high fork in the tree, would write his day’s thoughts.

2. Create a place to work (where have you heard this before?)

Roald Dahl built a writing shed in his back garden. He referred to it as his “womb” and “nest.” He positioned his chair and heater, had a table with various memories and artifacts, and even made a special table for his lap so that everything was just right for him to go there and get lost in his writing.

Many writers head to a specific “nest” to do their writing. J K Rowling has talked about getting her writing done in the cafes of Edinburgh. I believe it’s very important that you have somewhere you can go to work and write. This place separates your writing and your work from everything else that’s competing for your time and attention. The important thing is to have a place that’s got everything you need laid out around you, so you can focus on the writing. As I described in an older post, my studio is the spare bedroom where only my art and my writing co-exist.

I am surrounded by art on the walls, some of my books and a few framed quotes like: “the most creative force on earth is the menopausal woman with zest!” (Margaret Mead)

Watch for part two of this series

A writer’s gratitude

Last Saturday was my book signing at the iconic book store, E. Shaver’s Book Sellers. (shaversbooks.com) What a special day! The staff at Shaver’s made me feel so welcome. They had a nice spot all set up where the first thing the customer saw when they walked in was my table displaying my books.

The store is a collection of cozy little rooms filled to the rafters with BOOKS! Old, original hardwood floors that creak when stepped upon. And outside the occasional clip-clop of horses’ hooves as carriages drove by the front door. I wouldn’t have been half surprised if Charles Dickens and his good friend, Edgar Allan Poe had walked in.

Both my illustrators stopped by to show support. Lori Smaltz, the photographer, was there with her gorgeous coffee table book of celebrated cemeteries of Savannah (Bone Garden Enchantment). She has done most of my photo-collage covers for my books. Jefferson O’Neal, a wonderful artist and the illustrator for all of my children’s books, stayed and signed kiddie books with me.

During the three hour event we enjoyed meeting new people; tourists dropping in, regular customers that shop at Shavers all the time, and a few of my personal friends. I met a lady from Sri Lanka, in remission with stage four cancer. What a beautiful spirit she had…her outlook was so loving and positive. Then there was Celia (a realtor with Sotheby’s) who marched in, came straight to my table and ‘browsed’ my books. She quickly picked out two; one for her granddaughter, Mimi, and my novel for herself. The staff told me later that she supports whatever is going on at Shaver’s and is very generous. What a nice lady! My hair stylist came by with her son, Cameron, (a sweetie) and they bought all of my children’s books. Thanks! Andrea!

And then there were the four-legged shoppers! E. Shaver’s is pet friendly and in they paraded, knowing they would be welcomed. A beautiful springer spaniel with the sweetest face. An Airedale with a harness that said, ‘service dog’. But you could hardly take him seriously with his one cocked up ear; making him look like he was always asking you a question. It was a hoot! And then little ‘Evie’, a mutt with chihuahua, wire-haired terrier and probably six other ingredients; Evie is a bounding, jumping, bundle of pure joy!

The funny, human observation that I made was that some customers would NOT look at me. As if they thought, “Oh no. If I look at her, I’ll have to buy something!” Very funny, but that’s just me and my weird sense of humor. I was just so grateful to the owner and staff at Shaver’s Booksellers. They have taken me in, supported my work and are willing to share their limited shelf space with my books! I am blowing them kisses!

BOOK SIGNING TODAY !!

I hope you will come out today for my

BOOK SIGNING !!

  Shaver Book Sellers, on Madison Square in Savannah  
to hold a book signing.

This event will begin at

2PM today, November 17th.

Shaver’s carries all of my children’s books, my poetry and novel, “Women Outside the Walls”. Also available, today only, will be most of my play scripts.

Come by and say “hello” and enjoy this historic, iconic book store that is locally owned and operated.

SHAVER’S BOOKSELLERS

326 Bull Street

Join me at my Book Signing on Saturday!

BOOK SIGNING

Shaver Book Sellers, on Madison Square here in Savannah has invited this author to hold a book signing.

This event will begin at

2PM on Saturday, November 17th.

Shaver’s carries all of Sugarek’s children’s books, her poetry and her novel, “Women Outside the Walls”. Also available will be most of her play scripts.

Come by and say “hello” and enjoy this historic, iconic book store that is locally owned and operated. Enjoy a beautiful fall day in Madison Square.

Shaver’s Booksellers
326 Bull Street (Madison Square)
Savannah

Review: Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry

Rating: 4 quills

If you like World War history, you will love this book. Set in London; while solving an interesting double murder, the characters lead the reader through the factual maze of what led up to World War I. Politics, world positioning, greed and power were the ingredients of this witch’s brew long before Hitler came along. A tiny country, Austria, was the linchpin and match strike that started the ‘war to end all wars’. How’d that work out for all of us? Author, Anne Perry tells a good story. Her dialogue is sharp and sometimes witty.

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I hope you will come out today for my

BOOK SIGNING !!

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BOOK SIGNING

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