Echoes of a Wayward Mind

What are they saying about you?

2012-01-25T17:27:00.000Z

Earlier today, CassaStar author and ninja blogger Alex J. Cavanaugh talked about authors reading reviews of their own books. Should we do it?

A lot of people have different opinions on this one (Alex thinks we should read them, for example) and I thought his was such a great post that I'd chime in.

Euurreaaarrrgh. That's pretty much how I feel about the topic. Should we read what people are saying about our own work? On the one hand, I think, no. We shouldn't. Reviews are written so that readers, or prospective readers, have a sense of what to expect and what other people think of the book. They're not a letter to the author.

But on the other hand, I think, yeah. Sure we should. For the same reasons Alex talks about. Certain things highlighted in a review - praise for excellent writing, for example, or a rant about a horrendously two-dimensional villain - can help an author do as well or better next time. We may get a sense of what worked and what didn't. We can learn a lot from readers' responses to our work.

But then on the third hand, I think, no, we shouldn't read these responses. Because the 'learning a lot' thing can backfire. Spectacularly. Dramatically. Cataclysmically. A lot of other -icallys.

What if you start writing things because you think a reader wants it? What if it takes you away from the story you really need to be writing? I won't mention any specific books here, but there has been many a time that I've got to Book 3 or 4 of a popular series, only to find that things suddenly seem a bit... off. And it seems a little like the author's been reading too many reviews. (Yes, if you're wondering, I do have a morbid fear of this happening to me!)

So should we read reviews of our stuff? Euuuurreaagh just about sums it up.

As for the other question... will I read them anyway?

Hell yes. I won't be able to resist.

What do you think?

Page to Screen

2012-01-20T14:06:00.000Z

Happy Friday, everyone! I cannot wait for the weekend. Sleeeeeep...

Is it just me or is every 'big' book becoming a movie? Books have always spawned adaptations - I'm not just realizing this or anything! - but it feels like everything is being optioned or adapted lately. And as many of us noted during Alex J. Cavanaugh's Worst Adaptations blogfest, so few movies actually live up to their original sources.

But sometimes they do. Here are a few of my favourites (not in order)-

1. Nanny McPhee and Nanny McPhee 2 (in fairness, these are very loose adaptations of the original books so maybe they don't count, but they're so good!)

2. The Godfather Part I

3. War Horse (this is a bit of a cheat, actually, because it's really the West End play that I love - though the new movie is pretty great too. But an adaptation is an adaptation, right?)

4. The Reader

5. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (erm, better than the books, me thinks)

6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part I, and Part II (okay, the books were better. But I think these three films were awesome)

What are your favourite adaptations?

Sherlock, Sherlock, Sherlock

2012-01-17T18:03:00.000Z

I've always been somewhat addicted to Sherlock Holmes. The stories, I mean. The adaptations have been somewhat hit and miss. I like the TV series with Jeremy Brett, hate the Robert Downey Jr. movies with a passion, and love, love, love Sherlock, the new(ish) version with Benedict Cumberbatch. The second series just ended and I'm already suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms.

But I'm not here just to swoon over handsome detectives and profess undying love for Sir Arthur's original tales. No, I'm going to try and be useful for a change.

Sherlock is awesome. It's also an example of great storytelling. Here's how I figure we can absorb the winning formulae-

Be funny. Sherlock may be the star, but John's exasperated expression and his doomed efforts to curb Sherlock's rudeness make for some of the best and funniest moments in the series. Everyone likes a laugh. No matter how grim or dark or tragic a story is, it needs some levity somewhere. You wouldn't call THE HUNGER GAMES light reading, but it has a few laugh-out-loud moments. We, as readers, need a respite. The odd funny line or outright dose of hilarity can turn a good book into a great one.

Make your protagonists loveable. No matter how rude, callous and cold Sherlock is, we love him anyway. Because he's clever. Because his characteristics make us laugh. Because underneath it all he so clearly cares about a few important people in his life. And John has his flaws, but he's steadfast and loyal and oddly sweet. By the time we've spent an hour and a half with them, we love them.

There's no secret to creating a character every reader will love - and maybe that's not possible - but if you can make your readers love a character so much that he or she can make them laugh and cry, you're already on to a winner.

Be clever. This is hard. Even harder than being funny, because the only thing worse than a writer who is obviously trying and failing to be funny is a writer who is obviously trying and failing to be clever. The brilliance of Sherlock Holmes has been the character's selling point for a hundred years and Sherlock's detective is no different. But it's the cleverness in the actual storytelling that's truly brilliant. A good twist, surprise or neat puzzle can make a book sparkle.

Don't take it too seriously. I have no doubt Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have a blast every time they sit down to write an episode of Sherlock. Have fun. If you have fun writing it, people will have fun reading it.

And while you're at it, casting Benedict Cumberbatch won't hurt either.

Any other Sherlock fans out there?

Happy 2012!

2012-01-13T14:55:00.000Z

Happy New Year, blogosphere! Yes, I'm back. Well. More or less. My son is something of a black hole: one minute it's 10AM and I'm changing (yet another) nappy, the next it's 3PM and I've managed to achieve absolutely nothing with my day. He eats time, I tell you. Bloggers who are also mums: why didn't you warn me?!

I know we're already halfway through the month, but it still feels like the new year's only just begun. And there are a lot of things to be excited about.

Everyone says a baby's first year is the most exciting and changeable so, exhausting as the little mite is, I'm looking forward to all the milestones (he smiles already! Yes!)

THE LOST GIRL will be out this year. Oh, yes. Finally! I hope to be able to share the cover, blurb, official release date, etc. soon.

Books. It's only January and I've already read so many amazing new things. Apparently reading is the one thing I do have time for (because you can do it anywhere, anytime, and, most importantly, you can do it one-handed) and I'm making the most of it.

And now I'm off to change another nappy. Life is glamorous.

What are you excited about this year?

Why, hello, baby

2011-12-16T16:00:00.000Z

Yes, that's right; he's been born. And right bang on his due date too, how very punctual! And he's exactly a week old today, which means I've been sifting through countless photos to find a few to post here (and wouldn't you know it, almost all my photos are blurry or weird in some way! I blame the lack of sleep).

First, some baby stats

Name Jeremy

Weight 7lb 8 ounces

Level of cuteness totally off the charts

And all of this, of course, means my blogging will be rather sporadic over the next few weeks. But before I go, here he is (forgive the quality!)

Happy Friday, everyone!

Winners and, um, Way Cool Stuff

2011-12-07T14:41:00.001Z

I'm really not having a good week with this whole alliteration thing. (I am a writer. Honest. But a poet, me is not.)

As promised, today I'm announcing the winners of my 300 Followers Contest/giveaway! A huge, huge thank you to all my new followers - and to all the old ones who tweeted/blogged about the contest and put the button in your sidebars. Thank you for all your support!

I put your names in one of those cool online number generator thingies and here we are. I didn't make it to the aforementioned 300 followers, but I got over halfway there and am excited enough about it to give prizes away anyway! So two winners get to pick one of the following

a query critique
a 20-page manuscript critique
a £10 Amazon UK voucher (or a $15 Amazon US voucher if you don't shop on the UK site)
a box of homemade cupcakes*

*but really, don't pick this one. Baking and me are not the best of friends.

And the winners are

Janet Johnson and

Alex (from Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks)

Hooray!

As for the 'way cool stuff', I've read quite a few great books lately and I thought I'd share some of my recent discoveries. Who doesn't love a good book recc, right?

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

This is my absolute favourite recent read. Narrated by ten-year-old Jamie, it's honest and funny and so not the soppy, grim, bleak thing it might have been in a different author's hands. Grab it. It's sad but you'll laugh. It's amazing.

Build a Man by Talli Roland

I've read all of Talli's novels (and her guide to London, but that's a whole other kettle of fish!) and this one was hands-down my favourite. I don't know why. Maybe I just loved main character Serenity's first-person narrative, maybe I loved how funny and sweet it was, maybe it was a lot of other things. But it's such a fun read.

Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis

My editor Sara sent me this one (so maybe it's not officially out yet, I'm not sure) and I'm so glad she did because it's absolutely lovely. It's a mixture of fantasy and real-worldliness; I guess you could say it's a bit C.S. Lewis-y, only better (I never was a fan of the Narnia books, but that's just me).

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of way cool stuff, UK blog-readers? If you haven't had the Swiss cream bun at Greggs yet, get your hands on one now. I would commit criminal acts for them.

Contests and... Cool Things?

2011-12-05T21:39:00.000Z

Don't judge; alliteration's not my strong suit. And with the weather getting colder and more rotten, it being a Monday, and my baby STILL refusing to exit my womb, I have to admit I'm not at my most inspired today.

BUT all is not bleak! The 300 Followers Contest ended last week. I've been having trouble finding the time to blog lately, but I haven't forgotten about the contest, oh no! I didn't make it to 300 followers (sob) but you're all so awesome I've decided to give prizes away anyway.

So I'm going to pick two winners at random (instead of the original three, because I didn't make it to 300 after all) - and announce them later this week. Yay!

And for those of you who may need a pick-me-up today (like me) - and for all the Star Wars fans out there - here is a link to the BEST ADVERT EVER.

What about you? Anything funny or cool to share today?

Inspired by...

2011-11-24T16:48:00.000Z

THE LOST GIRL is on Goodreads! I don't even have a neat bit of preamble for that piece of news - it's just so exciting! Do pop over and have a look. Things really feel like they're kicking off and although there's not a whole lot on the book's page yet, it's there and it feels so real now.

In the wake of the listing, and the announcement on Bookseller, I've had a bunch of people on Twitter ask me questions about the book. And, of course, one of those questions has been about the inspiration behind a book. Authors inevitably get asked how we/they came up with a story. I love hearing the answers. We seem to get ideas everywhere. It's amazing.

So, how to find these ideas?

1. Dreams. Stephenie Meyer famously said Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream.

2. Song lyrics. Music always helps me! Sometimes a certain line or phrase, paired with a certain bit of music, will send me racing for my laptop.

3. Other books. Ideas can be pilfered freely from classics, myths, fairy tales, poems, other novels. Ideas are rarely brand new. THE LOST GIRL owes a great deal to Frankenstein. More often than not ideas are recycled, revamped, reused, re-a-lot-of-things. But there is a very clear line to be toed here. There's a difference between being inspired - and just plain old copying.

4. News, movies, conversations. Pay attention to what's going on around you. You never know what might set a story-spark ablaze.

5. People. It's amazing how a certain characteristic in a friend or a stranger can send you into a frenzy of excitement. An author I know once tweeted that, while out at the supermarket, she saw a stranger with such wild, moody eyes she couldn't resist writing a story about him.

Where do you find your ideas?

And a little reminder: the 300 Followers Contest ends in six days! PRIZES IN THE OFFING! Please do tweet, blog, just generally get the word out if you can - I'd so appreciate it!

Where are we going from here?

2011-11-18T16:20:00.000Z

Things don't stay the same for long - and thank heavens for that, or we'd all find ourselves climbing the walls with boredom! And that's true of this blog too. With my baby due in three weeks, and chaos bound to ensue, I thought now was a good time to talk about what you can expect from me/the blog in the immediate future.

I have no intention of vanishing off the face of the blogosphere! Just to get that out of the way first. I've never done the baby thing before so I have no idea what to really expect, but my plan, right now, is to take maybe four weeks off blogging once the baby's born. (After I've bored everyone with oodles of super-cute baby photos, obviously.)

After that, for a couple of months, I hope to spend a day on here every now and then, scheduling posts and generally catching up on things.

I still plan to visit my favourite blogs and I will always return comments so those things won't change.

Wow. Actually putting all this into a post makes it so official. Like these changes are really real. Can this be? Am I really going to have offspring? Am I never going to have a lie-in on a Saturday again? Ack.

PS. In other news, rather excitingly, I got a mention on the Bookseller and various other blogs this week! Random House Children's Books (UK) sent out a press release about some of their recent acquisitions and THE LOST GIRL features alongside three other debuts - all of which sound amazing!

Covers, Trailers and False Starts (oh, my!)

2011-11-14T16:32:00.000Z

It's amazing how much more there is to publishing a book than writing a book. Now obviously the author doesn't do all of that other stuff - with a traditional publisher there are editors, copyeditors, sales people, designers, and so many more - but it does still come as a surprise to me to step back and realize just how much of my work time has involved doing things that have little or nothing to do with actual writing.

For example, I recently had a sneaky peek at the US cover concept and design for THE LOST GIRL...

...and yes, it was every bit as exciting as you might imagine it would be! I've been dying to see a cover for months so it was definitely an OMGIMIGHTFAINT kind of moment. It's early days yet so I'm not allowed to say much about it, but I will say it looked beautiful.

And it also felt surreal. For so long this story has only ever been in my head and in words. To see it turned into images and colours like that, by somebody else entirely... well. It made my head spin.

I've also been working on a book trailer. Not exactly writing work, is it? But I really want to create something lovely for the book and so far I'm just bouncing ideas around, visualising possibilities in my head, and making lists of clips/footage I'll need to get my hands on. It's fun (for me, anyway, it might not be every writer's cup of tea) but it's also stressful and hard work and I haven't even got to actually acquiring or editing any footage yet! But it does just show how much of my Writing Day passes by without any writing happening.

But I do write. Or I try. I scribble things. I work on new ideas. But lately I've had a series of false starts. Ideas I've brainstormed and gotten excited about, only to find that they fizzle out when I try to put them onto the page. Or stories I've started that I like, but just don't love, and I find that I go back to the same four chapters and reread them and can't make myself go on.

It's disheartening. It's disappointing. And it's like a physical itch because I want to write, I want to be working on something new, but nothing feels right at the moment. But I guess that makes me feel hopeful too. Because I'd know it if it felt right. So I know these false starts, these brief sparks of ideas, they're just not it.

At least not yet. And that's okay.

What's gotten you excited or frustrated lately?

If I had Siri, I'd...

2011-11-09T16:54:00.001Z

Last week I blogged about my fantasy checklist. My mother's response was to send me straight to Youtube and to Siri, a virtual personal assistant on the new iPhone who can pretty much do anything for you. She sounds awesome. Okay, so she can't do my cooking and taxes, but maybe one day...

Apparently she has some really funny comebacks too. Like, if you tell her you love her, she tells you you're the wind beneath her wings.

There's my bit of tech envy for the day. Have you discovered anything fun lately?

PS. Don't forget to put your name down to enter the Big 300 Contest - only a few weeks to go and I'm giving away prizes if I make it to 300 followers!

Book Review: String Bridge by Jessica Bell

2011-11-03T05:02:00.012Z

This is a big month for Jessica Bell, whose literary novel String Bridge releases in Kindle and paperback, and I'm so excited to be part of her blog tour! Here's a little bit more about Jessica and her book-

Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s.

She spent much of her childhood travelling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education.

In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website.

From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.

You can find her online here.

As for String Bridge, this is from the Amazon blurb-

Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage--and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits...

The book is available on Amazon, Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble. It also, rather excitingly, has its own soundtrack (composed by Jessica - I KNOW, is there anything she DOESN'T do??), which you can find here.

And what did I think of this book?

Read it. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but String Bridge is painful, and exhilarating, and the 'tragedy' so tantalizingly teased in the blurb? Oh boy.

Characters are important to me and I wasn't disappointed. I didn't always like Melody or agree with her choices, but I rooted for her. And I hated her husband from the off. It's a huge point in the book's favour that these characters make it feel real.

I will admit that, personally, this isn't a genre I often read. And I know why: it's because I sometimes struggle with literary fiction and there were times I struggled a little here, with small sections where I just wanted more to happen. But I never wanted to stop reading.

Finally, music plays a huge role in this story and I loved that about it. From the title to the main character Melody's name to the huge impact music and love of music has on the plot, it's not just a device: it's an inextricable part of the story. Often books play on a passion without really making that passion a living, breathing part of the story; sometimes, though, that passion comes through and it does here. You may not always like Melody - or you may, I don't know, I can only speak for me - but you'll understand her because Jessica makes you understand how she feels about music. That's what, to me, really made this book shine.

Big congratulations to Jessica!

Personal Slaves vs Bottle Bags

2011-10-31T14:48:00.000Z

I like thinking ahead. When I write the first page of a new book, a part of me is already imagining what the hardback cover might look like. It's silly, it's fun and it's harmless - I expect a lot of us do it. So in the interest of brightening up this Monday, I thought I'd share some of my expectations vs. the reality.

Two years ago, if I'd imagined what today might look like, my Fantasy To Do list might have looked something like this-

1. Buy gorgeous new dress for movie premiere
2. Acquire personal assistant/slave to deal with things like taxes and cooking
3. Buy new house. The old one's only got six bedrooms
4. Switch on Christmas lights
5. Write fourth bestseller
6. Buy plane tickets for holiday in Italy

Today, my actual To Do list looks a lot like this-

1. Copyedits
2. Get wall in (the only) spare bedroom fixed before baby is born
3. Ring HMRC about double taxation form
4. Buy insulated bottle bags (might be cheap on eBay?)
5. Write some more of a New Book (The One I Really Want to Go Somewhere But Which I Fear May Not Because I'm Having a Crappy Dry Spell)
6. Fix Twitter button on website

Ah, so glamorous.

What are your most outrageous (or exaggerated) fantasies?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T15:22:00.000+01:00

It's another blog hop day - a big welcome to any new visitors! - and this time it's for the Halloween weekend! Hosted by Jeremy Bates, this blogfest is all about favourite monsters and costumes - a full list of other monster-talkers is up on Jeremy's blog here.

Normally picking a favourite anything is hard for me, because I usually have so many, but this time it's a no-brainer. My favourite monster book is Frankenstein.

Apart from the fact that I think it's an amazing, deliciously creepy concept and such a sad story, this novel will always have a special place in my heart because it's an enormous part of the inspiration behind my first book, THE LOST GIRL. Without Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, I'm not sure I'd have been able to write a book about stitching a person together from scratch. And without Frankenstein's Creature, I'm not sure I could have made my stitched-together echoes quite as real.

So there's what I'm celebrating this weekend! Who's your favourite monster?

FINALLY...

2011-10-25T16:00:00.001+01:00

...my website is up!

I've been working on an official author website for months. Literally, months. I could bore you with tales of failed designs, awkward web hosting, rewrites, broken links... but I won't. Finally, it's UP. It's not about to win any awards or anything - though who cares? It's mine and it's there and I am Official. I will be updating it regularly so this is by no means the End Of It, and there are still a few annoying buggy things I want to fix (like a Facebook button that keeps mysteriously vanishing), but it's up and it seems to be working and I'm so relieved!

You can find it at www.sangumandanna.com.

Such is the fruit of my Tuesday. How has your week been so far?

Dark and Stormy Nights

2011-10-21T15:05:00.000+01:00

Write what you know. Snoopy does.

It's what we're supposed to do, right? And that's fine. But sometimes I think we could be doing one better.

Write what you want to know.

Something you're passionate about. Something new. Something you have to learn about. I've always been fascinated by Venice, but I've never yet set a story there because it's not what I know. But maybe I should. Maybe that's exactly the kind of story that will haunt my sleep.

So I guess that's my thought for this weekend. Write what you love, not necessarily what you know. What do you think?

How to Write a Novel

2011-10-18T14:03:00.001+01:00

The thing friends and family inevitably ask me, at some point or the other, is 'how does it work? How do you write a book?' So here it is. In a nutshell. How to write a novel.

The Ten Step Plan

1. Get hold of an idea. Or a character. Or a concept. Something that interests you enough that you want to talk about it. If you want to talk about it, you'll probably want to write about it. Beg. Borrow. Pilfer. Buy one at a shop if you have to. Just make sure you get your hands on one.

2. Write about your idea. Make it Something New and Original and Different.

3. Burst into tears and throw it away because you don't like it anymore.

4. Lather, rinse and repeat Steps 1-3 many times.

5. Start over a variable amount of time later with a) a Fresh Take on the Old Idea, or b) a Brand Spanking New Idea. Now it's special, folks. Now you're in business. (At least, you tell yourself so, to avoid going back to the agony, heartache, blood, sweat and melodrama of Step 4).

6. Write six chapters and give up. It sucks, quite frankly. Stinks. Smells like poo. You're not a writer. You can barely spell. Give up the dream. Become an accountant instead. Or Wesley Snipes's stuntman. (Assuming Wesley Snipes still has a career after all that tax stuff. He should have been an accountant.) This creativity lark's not for you.

7. The Idea nibbles at you. It's probably stewing with malaria. Swat it away. You're not a writer, remember?

8. The Idea nibbles some more. It gives you sleepless nights. It breaks you out in a cold sweat on a hot day. It consumes your thoughts. Your dreams. Your soul. You bite your fingernails to the quick. You get tested for malaria. For various personality disorders. You take strong medication, otherwise known as wine. Nothing works. YOU HAVE TO WRITE AGAIN.

9. So you do. Doesn't help you sleep any better, though.

10. Finish the book. Sleep for a week. Wake up. Carefully count your new grey hairs and dye them before anyone notices. Shed many tears over the fact that you now have crows' feet and your bottom is twice its original size from all that Sitting at the Computer.

Then stop sobbing long enough to realize you finished the book. Suddenly your bottom is no longer a concern. Possibly because you've fainted and concern is therefore beyond you now, but whatever. YOU WROTE A BOOK.

See? Easy peasy.

Pay It Forward

2011-10-14T15:09:00.001+01:00

Today is the Pay It Forward Blogfest, hosted by Alex J Cavanaugh and Matthew MacNish - and if you don't know what that is, pop over to their blogs for the details and the list of participating bloggers, because it's such an awesome idea! Basically we're supposed to pick three of our favourite bloggers, people we think everyone should follow, and say a little bit about them. It seemed like a great way to discover new blogs and meet new people, so I signed up as soon as I had a chance.

Picking my three hasn't been easy, though. There are so many blogs I absolutely love and so many people I'd want to mention - in the end it was pretty much a case of 'pick three names out of a hat of favourites'.

Alex at Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks
Alex is smart and funny and so nice and everyone should check her blog out at least once! It's primarily a fashion blog but she also talks about books, work, life and she's just started working on a novel - so go over and encourage her!

Bethany Yeager at Ink-Splattered
A writer (like many of us), Bethany's posts about characters, plot and writing in general are always fresh and interesting and I never get tired of reading her.

Jim Murdoch at The Truth About Lies
Jim's posts about novels, poetry and plays are always incredibly detailed, thoughtful and illuminating. It must take him ages to write up each one; seriously, I'm always in awe when I stop by his blog.

Quite a random pick of choices, but, like I said, it was so hard to choose just three favourites I had to grab at a few names from a great list.

A big thank you to Alex and Matthew for hosting this blogfest - and happy weekend, everyone!

PS. I think I'm going to struggle to comment on every blog in the master list of participants, but I am going to try and make my way through the whole list and follow - so if you don't see many comments from me, it's not because I haven't been round!

Nostalgia

2011-10-10T16:22:00.000+01:00

What with all the baby shopping I've been doing lately, it was inevitable that sooner or later I would get to baby and children's books. That happened about a month ago and it kicked off a nostalgic wave. Since then I've been trolling Amazon and eBay looking for some of my childhood favourites, like the Complete Works of Beatrix Potter (ah, Peter Rabbit. So timeless!), and making new discoveries, like Kate Di Camillo's The Magician's Elephant (sob, so lovely) and The Tale of Despereaux (LOVE).

It's astounding, but I'd completely forgotten how much I love children's books. I read so much YA and adult but it's been months since I've read or reread a truly classic book for younger readers. I hadn't even realized I missed it.

And as I'm incorrigibly greedy about books, I want more. What were your childhood favourites? Found anything new and classic you'd recommend?

Reader Request: The Business of Writing

2011-10-05T15:38:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I've done a Reader Request - apologies to anyone who's still waiting on a post, I will get to all of them, I promise!

The 'business' of writing. Ack. The decidedly not-fun part. In her email, blog reader Clara asked me about this side of the process. More specifically, she asked me what new or hopeful writers should bear in mind if they want to make a career out of it.

Like taxes (also known as That Big Fat Black Hole in Your Bank Account). If, like me, you've never been self-employed in any capacity before, taxes will come as something of a shock to you.

They're a nuisance to sort out. You need to keep accounts of all your outgoings and incomings if you're making money off of your writing. It doesn't have to be a complicated spreadsheet like the one in the photo (my personal nightmare!), but it can be tedious and hard to figure out at first. And don’t even get me started on trying to understand VAT.

Taxes are also emotionally traumatic. At least to me. With most jobs you see your money after tax. So while you know you're paying taxes, I guess psychologically you don't feel the pinch as hard. You definitely feel every pinch when you're self-employed. You have to physically, manually account for taxes; you have to put away and save some of your money because you'll have to pay it up at the end of the tax year. Which does not end in December.

Oh, and if you sell foreign rights, you will also have the unparalleled delights of international tax laws and tax exemptions to deal with.

Then there's the fact that the work never stops. I love what I do. But it's not all joy. When you're employed by someone else (most of the time, but obviously this doesn't apply to everyone), you generally leave your work at work and go home. As a writer, I can't do that. I might be able to forget about it for a while, but I am always a writer. Things to do, jobs to tick off, ideas, they're always rushing around my brain.

And let's not forget you're not alone anymore. When you write purely for fun, you can stop when you like. You can pick it up again when you like. It's you and only you. When writing is your job, you have to do it even when you don't want to.

When you're published, or working with an agent, it's not just you anymore. There are other people to consider: their opinions, their thoughts, their advice. You have deadlines. You may have to do tough things to your precious, bloody, sweaty, teary manuscript. You may have to get your hands stuck in stuff you don't enjoy, like taxes, and sending angry emails to your web host because your website's not working properly, and self-promotion even if you're shy.

You have to treat it like a job or it's going to fall apart.

I will admit I don't always treat my work as professionally as I should. I have whims. Frenzies. Dry spells. Sometimes I'll work for twelve hours in a day, sometimes for less than an hour. It's not as disciplined as I'd like to be. But I try to find a balance. I try to make sure all the boxes on my To Do list are ticked.

And I guess that's what I'd leave you with. If you want to make a career out of writing, you have to treat it like any other career. And adjust your expectations accordingly. It won't be all fun. It can't be. It will involve a lot of work. You'll have to do things you find boring, or painful, or irksome. And only you can know if it's worth it.

It is for me.

Dry Spell

2011-09-30T14:53:00.000+01:00

I seem to be trapped in some kind of writing drought. I start things, then decide the idea is rubbish and abandon it. It's been months since I've had the kind of spark that makes me go YES! I WILL DIE IF I DON'T WRITE THIS STORY NOW!

So how do you fix a dry spell, writing or otherwise? I wish I knew. But here are a few things I've tried in the past, and they've worked, so I'm hoping they'll work again!

Take a break. Just forgetting about it for a few hours, or days, or even weeks could be just the thing.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to do it. Nothing kills enthusiasm quicker than feeling like you have to do something or else.

Try something completely new. Instead of trying to generate the same kind/genre/style of ideas, try doing something completely different. So if you write YA, try writing a fluffy romance for a few days and see what happens.

Just push through. If taking a break doesn't work, maybe just sitting down and making yourself write will. Who knows what a bit of forced scribbling will inspire? (This is always my last resort. Forcing myself just seems to take a lot of pleasure out of it, though it does pay off if I find a shiny new idea I can latch on to!)

Remember why you do it. I write because I love to. Because I need to. And sometimes, in the throes of deadlines and revisions and businessy things like getting a disaster-prone website up and running, I forget that. If you step back and remember why you do something, maybe you'll also remember something even simpler: if you love it so much, you’ll do it again. It'll always come back.

Any other tips or suggestions? How do you deal with a dry spell?

Am I missing something?

2011-09-27T16:40:00.000+01:00

There are certain Great Books out there. Books that people, as a collective, have deemed Great and thrust into the classical limelight and will forever call Great. Some of them are Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Midnight's Children, The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby (see how even some of the titles have the word in them?!), and The Lord of the Rings.

Now here's something I don't often admit. I don't like any of them.

Honestly. Pride and Prejudice? Just about okay (though I like the film and TV adaptations). The Catcher in the Rye? Unimpressed. The Lord of the Rings? I could tell you every detail of the movies (the extended DVD versions too!) but I've never been able to read more than a few pages of the actual books.

So I kind of wonder now if I'm missing something. If there's some spark there I haven't gotten. Or maybe I'm just classically defunct.

How about you? Any classical pet peeves? Any Great Book hates you'd confess to?

Worst Movies Blogfest

2011-09-18T17:42:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow is the Worst Movies Ever Blogfest, hosted by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh. I thought I'd post mine early because I'm going to be out and busy all of tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by - pop over to Alex's blog to find a list of the other entries!

So I'm supposed to pick the ten worst movies I have ever seen and have a good ol' rant about them. I thought this would be easy. I have had my fair share of red-faced bitching sessions after seeing a particularly godawful piece of would-be film. And yet, now that I'm trying to think of the worst ones, I'm coming up blank. Typical. So I won't make it to ten (sorry, Alex!) but here are a few of my top choices-

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
I'm not comparing this to the book. Or anything like that. Purely as a movie, standing on its own two feet, this was appalling. I thought Bella came off as an indecisive, spoiled and altogether shameless hussy (in what way is it ever acceptable to agree to marry one man, then start passionately kissing another bloke in front of your fiance? Hmm?), Jacob's penchant for toplessness grew old fast, and I just wanted to break Edward's face because he should have told Bella to take a hike the moment she started being such a t***.

And all this might have been bearable if the other characters had a chance to be anything but puppets in the background, but sadly, no. Clearly someone decided K-Stew, R-Patz and T-Laut(?) were it. Gah.

Bride Wars
Oh my word. I liked the trailer. I thought I'd like this. Alas. None of the characters were likeable. I thought everyone needed a smack. And the whole premise - best friends falling out because of a double-booked wedding - ended up being a lot less funny because it was hard to care about any story involving friends so close and so loving, they're willing to ruin and sabotage the other's wedding day. I did laugh. At how bad this was. And if I'm going to get really rant-y, I'll also add that this movie insults women - and brides.

Epic Movie
I know this is supposed to be a spoof, and bad-in-a-good-way and all that, but no. Just no. It's bad in a bad way. It burned away at least three good layers of my brain. And I actually like Kal Penn and Jayma Mays. Usually.

I Am Number Four
Mr Main Character needed to be beaten with a broomstick. And I could have broken a limb falling through the plot holes.

Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones
along with Star Wars Episode I and Star Wars Episode III
Now I'm not some sort of desperate, do-or-die fan of the first/original movies. I won't clobber you if you dare to say nasty things about them. In fact, I will even admit there are a few things lacking in the original trilogy (dialogue that doesn't make you cringe, for a start). But holy Heathcliff, the prequels don't even deserve to be associated with the good Star Wars name. They are painful. In over six hours of cinematic footage, I can only think of five good things-

1. Ewan McGregor
2. Yoda
3. Everyone's favourite pair of droids
4. Chewbacca's brief appearance
5. and the fact that Padme, the annoying imbecile, dies. Yeah, sorry if I spoiled that for you. You don't want to watch it anyway.

And my list of the not-good things? Long. Starting with 1. Hayden Christensen.

Well. I got to five (seven if you count all three of the Star Wars prequels). Halfway there, at least!

What would be on your list?

(Another) New Title! BUT THIS TIME IT'S FINAL!

2011-09-16T14:30:00.001+01:00

I know it wasn't very long ago that I told you that the official title of my book, out next year, would be A TORRENT OF LIGHT. Well, sometimes titles change. Even official ones. Several people at my publishers' felt that the old title didn't say enough about the book and they know this business far better than I do... so as much as I loved and will miss TORRENT, I'm very happy to say we have an even more brand new and sparkly title - and this one is it.

THE LOST GIRL

Yay! It thrills me every time. THE LOST GIRL, by me. Keep your gogglers peeled for it, bloggy-friends.

Watching Willow Websplash!

2011-09-14T15:05:00.002+01:00

Today is the official launch day of Talli Roland's second novel Watching Willow Watts - and she's hosting a fun 'If I Could Be Anyone, I'd Be...' websplash to celebrate! If you have a minute do pop over to her blog and celebrate with her, if you haven't already!

Here's a little bit about Willow's story-

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

You can buy the Kindle edition on Amazon UK here or Amazon US here.

I'm halfway through the book right now and loving it - honestly, it's so fun! - so GO! GO CHECK IT OUT! Inhale. Exhale. I'm calm. Don't worry.

And on to the websplash...

I can't think of anyone I'd want to be! At least not permanently. But if I could be anyone just for a day, I'd be Kurt Cobain.

Yeah, weird choice, right? I mean he was a boy, for a start. Which I am not. And he didn't exactly have the happiest life either. But I find him pretty darn fascinating anyway. I love music but have no musical talent, so I am always in awe of it - and I think I would have liked to spend a day in Kurt Cobain's head. Just to see where those songs came from; or how it felt to have calloused fingers and a desperate itch to play. Maybe I'd be happy being any musician for a day - I'd love to be Adele! - but I'm choosing Kurt for this websplash.

That's my pick! Who's yours?

If you're interested in taking a look at other bloggers' choices, Talli has a list up here. Happy mid-week, everyone!

Thank You

2011-09-13T15:42:00.000+01:00

Just a quick stop today. News: my book has just been put into copyediting, which is so scary and amazing all at once! Also, just a reminder about the 300 Followers Contest: to be eligible to win, you have to comment on the actual contest post, otherwise I won't know you want to be entered even if you are following me.

But what I really wanted to do today is welcome all my new followers! And a huge thank you to all of you, old and new. For stopping by the blog, for putting my contest button in your sidebars, for blogging/Tweeting about it, just generally for all your incredible support. You're fantastic!

I'd be lost without it...

2011-09-09T14:55:00.000+01:00

In all my time trawling through baby forums, I've noticed an incredibly popular topic: new mothers asking other mothers what their most useful baby buy was. And because Writer-Sangu never really goes away, I started to think about writing tools.

What's the most useful writing 'thing' you've ever bought?

It can be anything - a notebook, a pen, an app, whatever. I'm just terribly curious! And I know some of my readers aren't writers, so anything that helps you be creative counts.

Mine's a totally boring answer. My laptop.

See? Isn't it pretty?

I honestly would not know how to cope without my laptop. I make all my notes with pens and pencils and notebooks and scraps of paper, but I can't write whole scenes - let alone a whole book! - by hand. And typing on an iPad or phone just doesn't work as well for me. And I like being able to quickly minimize a screen and Google something I need to know!

Besides, without my laptop, how else would I store and organize all my files/drafts like this?

So what's your favourite writing buy?

"Any, like, crime?"

2011-09-05T20:48:00.000+01:00

Today is Rachael Harrie's First Campaigner Challenge (do pop over to the link to check out the list of posts!). I really wanted to join in but my mind has gone totally blank and I literally cannot - cannot - think of a single thing to write for it! Sigh.

In fact, I am so brain-dead today, all I can think of is a new installment in the saga of The Things People Say When Sangu Tells Them She's a Writer. You know, like this one.

So this happened at the airport a couple of weeks ago, when I came back to the UK after my trip to Bangalore.

OFFICIAL [looks at Sangu's passport]: So what do you do, miss?

SANGU: I'm a writer.

OFFICIAL [perks up no end]: Really? A writer! What kind of stuff do you write?

SANGU: Books. Novels, I mean. Fiction. Books. Fiction books. [VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD: smooth. Very smooth.]

OFFICIAL: Wow! Any, like, crime?

SANGU: Erm, no. I write teen fiction. Young adult.

OFFICIAL [totally crestfallen]: Damn. I'd have asked for your autograph if you wrote crime.

SANGU [laughs the whole way home]

The 300 Followers Contest!

2011-09-02T15:54:00.000+01:00

A couple of days ago this blog got its 200th follower! Yay! Huge thanks to all of you, you can't imagine how much I appreciate it. But I'm going to show you. Yes! A contest! A kind of help-me-get-to-300-followers contest!

With prizes.

So here's how it's going to work. If this blog gets to 300+ followers by the 30th of November, I will pick three winners and give away one of the following prizes to each of them-

a query critique
a 20-page manuscript critique
a £10 Amazon UK voucher (or a $15 Amazon US voucher if you don't shop on the UK site)
a box of homemade cupcakes*

*okay, I should probably mention I am not the best baker in the world, and I don't actually know how feasible posting a box cupcakes is, so maybe only pick this one if you're really not tempted by the others...

How to enter-

1. Become a follower, unless you already are.
2. Comment on this post. Please make sure you include an email address in your comment!
3. Pop the contest button in your sidebar/blog, linking it back to this post.

That's it! You don't have to write a post or tweet about it, but it would be very lovely if you did. It would really help me get the word out.

(And, of course, if more people find out about it and want to join in, the more likely it is that I'll get to my goal by the end of November!)

The prizes will be given away to three randomly chosen winners if I get to 300+ followers by that date. If we get there and you win, all you'd have to do is pick the prize you want and email me letting me know your choice!

Once again, thank you to everyone who got me to 200. You're the best.

Happy Friday!

Tag: If You Could be Anywhere...

2011-08-30T15:22:00.001+01:00

So I've totally just made this tag up. (If it's been done before and I've nicked it off someone, sorry!) And I'm tagging everyone. But the weather's getting more rubbish and I have a rotten cold/cough/am at death's door, so I've been daydreaming a little. And now I'm inviting everyone to share in the daydreaming. Put it in the comments! Write your own post! Anything!

So if you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

I'd be here.

That, for those of you who have never had the joy of being there, is a gorgeous hotel in Goa. My parents used to take my brother and me there every year when we were little and I haven't been in years and am longing to be back there.

If I were there, it would be hot and sunny and it would smell like salt and holidays. I'd be sticking my feet in the ocean you see there, and then I'd be lying on a lounger on that beach with my weight's worth in colourful cocktails, and then I'd be swimming in the pool, and then I'd be walking back to the hotel for one of their amazing buffet breakfasts, and then I'd be dozing in an air conditioned room with the balcony doors wide open.

Ah, to daydream.

Now it's your turn.

It's that time of year...

2011-08-25T12:56:00.000+01:00

I don't know what it is about this season, but every year, like clockwork, this seems to be the time for blogfests, blog events, launches, blog hops, generally all manner of bloggy fun. Here's just a taster of some of the cool stuff around:

Rachael Harrie is hosting her Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign. It sounds like it's a fantastic way to meet new bloggers - and you can join groups based on your own interests and genres!

Next month marks the release of Talli Roland's second book Watching Willow Watts and she's celebrating by hosting a blog-wide launch party! And it sounds so fun.

We've all seen our fair share of truly horrendous movies, right? So if you're in the mood to rant, Alex J. Cavanaugh has set up a Worst Movies Blogfest.

There's tons more out there but these are just the ones I've signed up to recently. As if I wasn't busy enough! But these sounded too much fun to resist.

Have you discovered anything fun online this week?

A Summer in Books

2011-08-23T15:35:00.000+01:00

With September around the corner, the inevitable end of summer is nigh. I can measure my summer in a growing baby bump, a fabulous - if all too brief - holiday in Bangalore... and books. As busy as I've been, I've read tons of great stuff. So here are a few of my favourites. Get 'em if you can, they're worth it!

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
This book is so much fun! It's a YA Victorian romp with fraudulent mediums, ghosts and romance - what's not to like?

Confessions of a GP by Dr Benjamin Daniels
This is non-fiction, hilarious and incredibly illuminating - especially if you live in the UK and are all too familiar with the NHS. I had fits of giggles reading it. Highlight: 'Dr Daniels's' list of the weirdest complaints he's ever heard from patients. I think this one is my absolute favourite summer read. And right now it's only 99p on Kindle too!

The Donor by Helen FitzGerald
Will has teenage twin daughters and two perfect kidneys. His daughters' kidneys are failing. He has to choose which one to save... unless he can find a way to save both. I'll admit there were moments all the characters annoyed me, but that's a small gripe compared to how good this was.

Fallen by Lauren Kate
I'd been hearing about this one for ages before finally picking it up; it seems to be something of a YA paranormal classic in the US. The story of a doomed love story between a girl and a fallen angel, it does have its fair share of cliches: slightly unconvincing love triangle, the sassy best friend, the distant-yet-sexy love interest. But in spite of all this I found myself reading it compulsively until I'd finished the book so it gets points for that!

I think I'll leave it there for now. What have you read this summer? Anything amazing?

Cats, Phones and Days Off

2011-07-29T17:30:00.000+01:00

So I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I've spent the last few weeks busy working on a round of revisions for A TORRENT OF LIGHT. Yesterday I finished them. Yes! Finished! And not just finished: I finished them and was happy.

Normally I edit and feel pleased but also a teeny bit dissatisfied because something didn't turn out quite as well as I'd wanted. Or it just didn't do justice to the way I imagined it in my head. This time I am happy. It's not perfect - I don't think any author thinks their drafts are perfect! - but it's so close to the book I want it to be. For that I need to thank my agent Melissa, my editor Sara, my husband Steve and myself Me, because without them I wouldn't have gotten to this point.

(I realize this makes it sound like the work's totally over and it's going to print, but that's not true. There will be more work. I'm just quite pleased with the work already done - not to mention I'm still basking in the afterglow of finishing revisions!)

All of which means I've given myself a day off. Today, to be precise. A day off! A guilt free day off!

So what have I done on this fine day?

I've pondered the unsolvable puzzle of the cat in this photograph. Try it. If you can find the bloody cat please tell me where it is because it's driving me crazy.

I have discovered that if you drop your phone in water you can heal it with uncooked rice. There. Your Invaluable Tip of the Day. I did not discover this the hard way. I heard mysterious rumours about it and immediately felt compelled to experiment but a few desperate words from Steve made me see reason. My phone is dry, never fear. However I did have this mysterious rumour confirmed on Twitter: it worked for someone in my agent's office!

I had a Skype chat with my mother. I have these quite often but so rarely without a sense of 'oh heavens I've been doing this half an hour, that's half an hour of work-time I've cavalierly frittered away!' For those of you who have not heard about my mother before, here is one of her finer moments (skip to the last paragraphs of the post).

I've read a book to my unborn offspring. I think he liked it.

I pondered new ideas and projects. Because I'm irrepressible that way and even on a day off I can't shake off my Writer Brain.

And I haven't done this yet but I tonight I'm going on date. With Steve. Today marks six months since we condemned ourselves to a lifetime with one another (i.e. got married) and we're going out on a date to celebrate. And also because he just got a new credit card and felt we should abuse it a little bit.

What have you done this Friday? Any big plans for the weekend?

Reader Request: Red Flags

2011-07-27T19:10:00.001+01:00

This post is several days overdue because Blogger has been an absolute nightmare this past week. I could break it.

Today I have a request from Ian, who said:

I'm not a newbie or anything but I seem to notice I'm running into suspicious and dodgy-sounding situations lately. I'd love it if you could do a reader request post about publishing red flags/warning signs and what to look out for?

Normally I pick Reader Requests at random but I chose this one deliberately this week because it seems very timely. Anyone else read this post about a cruel hoax?

There must be a thousand excellent posts on this subject out there but I'm going to make a stab at it. About five years ago I almost got myself into a tricky spot because I ignored an awful lot of red flags, so I can completely sympathize with Ian. This isn't going to be an enormous and exhaustive list - it's just a few common things I've come across or heard about.

Red Flags (or, Turn Around, Run Away and Never Look Back)

1. A literary agent or publisher asks you for an up-front fee. No legitimate person in the business will do this. Agents make money when you make money. Publishers buy the right to publish your book - even if you aren't offered an advance at the go, you are still supposed to make money off royalties when the book is out. You shouldn't be paying anyone any money up front.

(Note: obviously this doesn't apply to specific pay-to-publish and self-publishing places; that's a whole other subject.)

2. You can't find any information about the agent/publisher online. Sometimes these places will have excellent, professional-looking websites. I ran into one a few years ago, submitted my query through their online form, and received a 'yay we'd like to represent you!' email the next day. Followed by a list of their costs. When I went back to their website and re-checked their online form, I found that you could put anythingin - yes, even a few nasty swear words - and you'd still get exactly the same 'yay!' email the next day.

It just goes to show that a pretty website doesn't always mean everything is okay. On the flip side, some successful and legit agencies/publishers may not have a big fancy website. This shouldn't put you off.

What should send you running is a complete lack of information about these people online. Even a brand new agency or publisher usually has a web record: someone used to work somewhere else, a glowing blog post from a client or author, an interview at a reputable blog or website... you get the idea. If you can't find anything about someone online - and certainly if you can't find anything good - it's probably best to avoid them. Or at least bookmark them and check back in a few months, in case they really are legit and just very very new.

3. You sign a contract, agreeing to work with them, only to be forgotten. Your emails aren't answered, your phone calls are ignored, and you don't hear a peep out of them for weeks on end. People are busy. People also go out of town and don't check their work emails. That's a fact. You can't expect replies and hand-holding in five minutes flat. But if you're being ignored for weeks or months (and this doesn't apply to the querying process where it could very well be normal not to receive a reply at all), well, that's not very professional or courteous.

4. They recommend you get your manuscript professionally edited before they are willing to move forward with you... and they tell you who to go to. It's one thing to suggest that a manuscript be professionally edited because it's not quite up to par yet. It's even okay if they suggest editors/places they've worked with before. But when an agency or publisher tells you to get your manuscript edited at a specific place or they're not interested, you should be concerned. Odds are they're two threads of the same con and you're going to lose a lot of money. No legit agent or publisher will demand that you pay money to have your manuscript edited before they are willing to take you on.

5. You are approached by an agent/publisher who seems wildly enthusiastic about your material/story/blog and within hours they have stunning results for you. This is very much what happened to Aaronni Miller, as described in the post by Victoria Strauss that I linked to above. Publishing just doesn't move this fast. Always check out anyone who approaches you. And be very wary of hourly miracles.

And finally, a couple of excellent resources:

Writer Beware

Absolute Write Water Cooler

Can you think of any other red flags? Have you ever found yourself in a nasty place because of something like this?

Mine's bigger than yours

2011-07-19T22:28:00.000+01:00

I think it starts when we're, what? Four? And in a sandpit with our new toys determined to show everyone around us that our stuff is way cooler. And if our stuff just visibly isn't cooler - at least, we don't think it is - then we suffer pangs of anxiety, insecurity and the certainty that life just means nothing.

And years on... well, not much has changed, has it? We constantly compare ourselves to other people. Mrs Perfect Mother's baby never cries. Mr Debut Novelist got given a seven-figure advance on his first book. Those reviews are better, my book just isn't up to scratch, she's prettier, my toes are wonkier (and they are, too. I swear my littlest toes are misshapen.)

I've found it's pretty much unavoidable. I'm always going to compare myself to other people. But I've learned not to find myself so lacking. I've learned to judge myself by my own standards and not worry too much about the rest.

So how do you cope? What do you do when you start comparing myself to someone else?

Muddled

2011-07-14T19:48:00.001+01:00

I feel like so many things are happening at once - and it's completely flung my carefully planned blog schedule out the window! Oh well.

Steve and I had our scan at the hospital and it looks like we're having a boy! I'd have been just as excited no matter what it was, but it's so much fun actually knowing and being able to refer to the baby as a 'he' and not 'it'.

I spent a fantastic day in London on Tuesday. I met UK agent Sarah Molloy, who is so lovely and funny, and then had lunch with Ruth Knowles and Natalie Doherty of Random House - they're both completely awesome, by the way. We went back to their offices after that to meet more of their team. (Oddly, before I first talk to or meet publishing people, I find that I'm terrified of them. I'm always convinced they'll be scary. I should really know better by now.) It was beyond cool getting to meet everybody in London.

I should really have taken a few photographs. I didn't.

I'm in the middle of a round of edits on TORRENT right now and though there are still some important things to figure out, I've finally hit my stride. Hooray!

And on a bloggy note, this guest post by Dan Holloway is fantastic - it's all about authors and physical appearances and whether or not we're expected to 'look good'. It also leads into the inevitable question of how much or how little the book itself matters.

Yep. This post is a muddle of things. Sorry. I'd try to make it more coherent, only I'm off to stare fondly at my ultrasound photo.

Learning Curve

2011-07-11T15:06:00.000+01:00

I'm putting up Tuesday's post early because I will be in London all day tomorrow. Also: thank you for all the lovely replies to my post last week - all the congratulations and support are so appreciated!

I had this idea, when I was fifteen or sixteen, that at some point (imminently) I would soon learn and know everything. Most of these thoughts were centred on writing. I thought I'd learn everything by the time I was sixteen and it would be smooth sailing from there.

Ha.

The thing is, you never stop learning. Not just as a writer, but generally. So here are a few things I've learned lately. Some were learned the hard way.

Forcing yourself to 'just get down to it' does work. An essay you've been putting off for weeks, vacuuming the bedroom, editing your book again - well, let's just say there are a lot of things we'd all like to put off or forget about or just not do at all. In fact, some days those things might hurt your brain so much you don't ever think you can do them.

But here's a secret: if you force yourself - literally force yourself - to just get started, you might be amazed by how quickly you end up getting stuff done. Or how quickly buried ideas start flowing to the fore. Getting started's the hard part.

Never go anywhere without wet wipes. You never know when you might a) be sick in public, b) have a pigeon poo on you, c) spill Coke down your top or d) who-knows-what-else.

Nothing's as bad as it seems. Honestly. If you stop to think about it, there's always something to laugh at.

No matter what happens, Robert Pattinson will get the girl. When all else seems uncertain and rocky and the earth itself is coming apart at the edges, there is always this cast-iron fact to fall back upon. Like the sun rising in the east, Robert Pattinson will end up with the girl. He might or might not perish tragically afterward, but fact is, he'll get her first. Often beating out the likes of Daniel Radcliffe (seriously, Cho Chang? Cedric over Harry? What a travesty.) and Christoph Waltz in the process.

It can be done. Unless you're playing the very last Rainbow level of Racing Penguin, rest assured that nothing is impossible anymore. You can fly across the world. You can change gender. You can publish a book. You can - with considerable effort and much hilarious contorting - touch your nose with the tip of your tongue.

I'm pretty sure there's even someone out there who can lick their elbow. So there you go. Whatever you dream of, it's not impossible.

What have you learned lately?

Great Things About July

2011-07-05T16:56:00.000+01:00

1. The weather. What post would be complete without mentioning this? Now I will admit the weather has been sketchy here in the UK - disgustingly cold for summer, appallingly hot, rainy, bits in between - but today, for example, is a lovely day. And the weather is gorgeous. And all I want to do is go for a long drive with the windows down, and drink ice cold things, and snooze.

2. A TORRENT OF LIGHT has sold to Germany (Ravensburger) and the UK (Random House)!

Now obviously I am super-excited about the fact that my book will be published in the US and Germany, but I have to admit I'm a teeny bit more excited about it being out here in the UK next year - just because I live here and it means I can maybe walk into a bookstore and see it, right there on the shelves.

It's a dizzying thought.

3. Steve and I have an appointment at the hospital mid-month for our second scan. Where, amongst other things, we will hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl.

This is terribly exciting to me. I'm one of those people who can't stand surprises. The moment I hear a surprise is in the offing, I pester and plead until I find out what it is or until it's time for said surprise to be unveiled, whichever comes first. The thought that my unborn offspring might already be keeping secrets from me is intolerable. I must know if he is a he or she is a she.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It will all really be over when that film is out. And I don't really want it to end. It's kind of sad knowing there's never going to be another book or another movie out. But at the same time I can't wait to watch the darn thing.

5. Being able to wear my bee-yoo-ti-ful new maternity dresses. They're very summery. All floaty knee-length skirts and short sleeves (or no sleeves) and general prettiness. So I guess this should really be part of Weather, above, but I'm putting it under Fashion, here. Because quite frankly fashion can be difficult when one is with child.

What are you happy about this July? What are you looking forward to?

Reader Request: I Do

2011-07-01T22:10:00.001+01:00

A picture-filled post today! Talli Roland ~~demanded~~ requested more wedding photos and I'm pretty darn sure she's going to stick a hot poker in my ear if I don't comply, like, now. So here we are. A flashback to January. I'm telling The Story of Our Wedding in Four Photographs.

That's the wedding cake, sitting on our kitchen table the night before the wedding. You can also see a) my father's legs and b) the glass of Pina Colada I guzzled almost compulsively in the hopes that it would ease my terror of Walking Down an Aisle. (It didn't.)

The aforementioned terrifying Walk Down the Aisle. We had music. We had a whole minute of music picked out for this very moment, actually. Everything had been timed. Fifteen seconds in, I was at the front and they had to turn the music abruptly off. Yep. I sprinted. All I could think was OMGsomanyfacesIthinkI'mgoingtofaintmustgettherenow.

I think I was reaching for Steve's ring here, to put it on his finger. You can't tell from this photo - obviously, because that's his back you see there - but he was a little teary at this point. Probably thinking 'holy s***, what am I doing? I'm condemning myself to a lifetime of making tea while my wife becomes a hunchbacked crab over her laptop!'

You have to feel for the boy.

And finally, that's us cutting the wedding cake at the party afterwards. It's not one of my better facial expressions, I'll admit, but I blame it on the cake. I swear the thing did not want to be cut. It wasn't tradition that compelled us to cut it together - it was necessity. Neither of us could so much as make a dent in it on our own!

So there you have it. Cakes, booze, terror-inducing Walks, rings and a groom who is no doubt by now wishing he'd never met me or my laptop. It was the best day ever.

What was your best day?

Dear Sceptics...

2011-06-28T22:43:00.001+01:00

...including certain ladies on buses,

Writing is a real job. Really. I know this may come as a shock to you - and I'm very sorry if I've somehow shattered your view of the world - but writing is a real job. And I don't just mean journalism and writing articles for Important Publications. I mean writing fiction. That unholy of unholies. Novels. I see you shuddering already.

But it's true. It's a real job. See these Dictionary.com definitions of the word job

1.
a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: She gave him the job of mowing the lawn.
2.
a post of employment; full-time or part-time position: She was seeking a job as an editor.

No doubt you will have noted the words employment, occupation and price there. As strange as this may sound, being a writer actually fulfills the above criteria. I write books. People will hopefully read those books. It's a job. Honest.

Perhaps you thought a Real Job meant having a secure, stable and certain job. Now I will admit such a job is tempting (though if you can find me any secure, stable and certain jobs in this warm and cuddly economic climate, I'll eat my boot). I like security, stability and certainty. I watch my husband's bank account in awe, marvelling at how, like clockwork, he gets money once a month. Like magic! One of these clockwork magic jobs would be nice, I'm sure.

But on the other hand, I'm happy with writing. Which is a real job, by the way. And here's why:

1. I get to work in my pyjamas. Or in a cocktail dress. Or naked. Or while lying in bed! Imagine that

2. I get to be six years old again and make up stories - only this time no one dares accuse me of being a dreadful little liar

3. I get to drink wine/liqueur/neat vodka while I'm working and people call it artistic, not irresponsible - and no one's going to sack me for doing it either

4. I get to hang out on Twitter and Facebook and this blog and still claim I'm working

5. Did I mention I get to make up stories?

6. And, because this always comes up, yes, I do actually get paid to make up those stories too. Which means I have a real job. And you have to admit it's kind of a cool one too.

So, you know. I work. Like a - gasp - real person. So please don't ever ask me when I'm going to get a real job again. Because I might have to punch you on the nose. Sorry in advance.

Love,

Sangu

Reader Request: Books! Books!

2011-06-24T19:10:00.003+01:00

When reader Louise emailed me ages ago with a request for book recommendations, I wanted to hug her. A post about books? Yes, please!

Louise wrote the following

I've only recently started reading some YA - Twilight and Meg Cabot's stuff to name a couple - and I'm amazed by how much I love it! I was wondering if you could please write a blog post recommending some of your favourite books/authors in that genre?

And so, for Louise, here we go. I haven't named as many as I'd have liked to here, just some of my recent and older favourites. And I didn't put it synopses or summaries here because I thought that would make for a very long post, so I've linked each book to its Amazon page where you can find the blurbs.

Tabitha Suzuma, Forbidden
Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl and sequels (these is more MG than YA, but they're fun!)
Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now
Maggie Stiefvater, Shiver
Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games and sequels
Lucy Christopher, Stolen
Anything by Eva Ibbotson! (though I'm not sure they're typical YA, really)
Francesca Lia Block, Wasteland
Mary E. Pearson, The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Veronica Roth, Divergent
Maryrose Wood, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series (again, MG not YA, but so funny!)
Keris Stainton, Della Says: OMG

What would you recommend? Have you read anything lately that you absolutely loved?

Note: huge apologies to everyone who may be stopping by because of Elizabeth Mueller's blogfest! I just didn't have the time to join in like I wanted to!

Special

2011-06-22T17:30:00.002+01:00

Shhh. Don't make any sudden movements. My laptop might turn off again!

Yes, it's still misbehaving - though it has managed to stay on for a whole two hours today, and I'm trying not to push my luck - so this post will be short and sweet. I'm turning it over to you. What makes a character special to you? What works?

Pick a favourite character - or one of many - and tell me why you think they're amazing.

My choice-

Which was hard. I have so many. I was going to go with Sherlock Holmes, but everyone knows all about him, so I'm going with Anna from Eva Ibbotson's The Secret Countess. She's an impoverished Russian countess who flees her home during the Revolution and goes to England. To support her family, she finds a job as a maid at the country home of an English lord/war hero and of course, she starts to fall in love with him - amidst a whole lot of obstacles and other shenanigans.

Anna is fabulous. She's sweet and brave and stubborn and hilarious. The book is funny and heartbreaking and sweet all that the same time and Anna is just about the reason for all of that. She's incredibly selfless (in a good way) and everything she says is funny and her love story with Rupert is fantastic.

Best moment: That dance. If you've read the book you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, well, go do it because it's such a lovely book!

And now it's your turn. Who's your pick?