P is for Physics

April 18, 2013 by sharonsant

I don’t understand physics really (though I do try), but the concepts and theories of it are beautiful. Take string theory, for example. A seemingly cold, scientific logic constructed this graceful aesthetic. Fractals, astrophysics and quantum theory: all gorgeous. These ideas produce images that could grace the walls of any gallery, art as beautiful and tactile as anything created in the name of art.

I love physics for the possibilities it presents for stories. I love time travel and wormholes and teleportation. They’re not real things, of course, but the fact is that they are plausible. These things are theoretically possible, but we don’t have, and are likely never to have, the resources to make them happen. Probably a good thing. Can you imagine the damage I could do if I could teleport?

Mostly, I love physics because it gives me the excuse to post this video, one of my favourite Doctor Who moments. Who says I don’t have depth?

O is for ‘On Readers and Writers’

April 17, 2013 by sharonsant

I recently met Liz Wilkins via Twitter and am quickly finding her to be funny, intelligent and lovely to chat to. I am also discovering that she has an immense passion for books. So when she said that she was thinking of writing a sort of essay to analyse the way she feels about the author/reader contract, and how she views the world of publishing from the point of view of someone who is a consumer, rather than a creator, I jumped at the chance to post it on my blog. When she sent the piece to me, I was blown away by just how much books mean to her, and how precious her relationships with her favourite authors are. It reminded me that sometimes I’m so wrapped up in my own writing that I forget the reason I started to write in the first place, which is to try to draw people into my worlds in the same way I have been drawn into others. Being absorbed into a book so wholly that it feels like nothing outside it exists is something I don’t do nearly enough these days. It seemed fitting that, as the piece is titled On Readers and Writers I should share it with you as my O:

Random Reading thoughts and the Authors that inspire them….

I have been pondering lately, the relationship I have with my favourite authors, and considering in a bit more depth, how I pick and choose which novels to read from the plethora of choices available to me. Am I too insular in my decisions? I most often go for the “easy” option of staying within my comfort zone, that of Crime Fiction and Stephen King novels – and once an author has captured my attention I will stick with them to the bitter end. And in some cases that end is indeed bitter…as I will come to.

Firstly, lets take a look at my “top 4” if you will – those authors who have burrowed their way into my heart so completely that the idea of letting one of their novels pass me by is inconceivable -perhaps if other readers ever see these blatherings, they will recognise the symptoms – any prolific reader will have their own list and their own reasons, as close to their heart as these are to mine.

At the very top of my list is Stephen King, as anyone that knows me well will be very aware of. My relationship with Mr King started when I was a mere teenager – “The Stand” uncut version was on offer in my local bookshop and the story seemed vaguely interesting so I bought it, went home and was not seen again for three days. Anything he had ever published soon followed and to this day he has never let me down. I cherish those times I spend with his stories, I create time no matter how busy when a new one arrives to immerse myself totally in his world without interruption. Not all of his books are of the same standard, but I love them all to one degree or another. “Lisey’s Story” quite literally saved my life during a time of life threatening illness and for that reason alone as long as he writes, I’ll read. I could write a whole book on what each of his novels has meant to me but perhaps another day…lets move on.

A fairly quick word on the other three, or you really will be here with me all day and I’m sure you have better things to do! Mr Roger Ellory writes Crime Fiction. But not really. He writes stories. The type of stories that creep into your subconscious without you noticing and end up staying there in your peripheral vision forever. The only other author perhaps for me, that does this as well as Mr King does but in a totally different context. “Candlemoth” still is, and will remain ever so, the first book to make me realise that the telling of a good story can touch your soul. Then there is one of my favourite people as well as one of my favourite authors, Mr Neil White. A few years ago my love of reading had faded somewhat – I was finding the new “Crime Fiction” jaded with nothing new to be found and no characters that lived with me during the time spent reading the book. I am thankful to this day that “Fallen Idols” was given to me as a gift – it turned out to be the best gift I had ever been given – that of faith. A rediscovery of my faith in the fact that a good book can make the worst day in the world seem like the best. “Jack” and “Laura” may not be real but they are realistic. And now for better or for worse (there hasn’t been a worse yet, even when Jack and Laura are absent) they are mine. Finally a new addition – Elizabeth Haynes. If you haven’t read “Into the Darkest Corner” then why not?! Go and do it. Ms Haynes writes people. Real people, with real situations, sometimes horrifying sometimes seemingly bland but always, always heart wrenching and unforgettable.

So there you have it. You find your people and you stick with them through thick and thin, a bit like a marriage really in a lot of ways. And like some marriages it can go horribly wrong. I used to have a top five. Sometimes however, a writer can seemingly begin to misjudge his/ her target audience and suddenly that series that was a must have, becomes a definitely won’t have even if it is free. Such was the case with my reading relationship with Patricia Cornwell. Ms Cornwell was a pioneer when it came to Crime Fiction and the creation of a strong, independent, successful female character who not only kept up with her male counterparts but was often superior to them. Along with Dr Scarpetta you also got interesting and involving mysteries and a real insight into how Pathology works. For many years one terrific novel followed another then something started happening. Slowly but surely Dr Scarpetta lost her edge. A downward spiral into suspicion and gloom started to invade every page. Every book had a “Conspiracy ” in play against our well loved protagonist and the previously intimate and well rounded supporting characters became cardboard cut outs of their former selves. Marino lost all his redeeming features, Lucy is still a petulant teenager and Dr Scarpetta herself became annoying in the extreme. Whether this was/is a reflection of things going on in the author’s own life was something that was concerning me more than the story I was reading. It was intrusive and no longer fun. I continued on in the hope that there was redemption in Scarpetta’s future but after “The Bone Bed” I can no longer justify the expense of continuing. And I cried at making that decision. Actual tears. I felt like I had lost a friend – such is the power of the writer to invade a readers life and to make them feel a real loss when things are not going well. I wish Ms Cornwell luck with all her future novels, but it is highly unlikely that I will be there for the ride. However it must be said, she wrote many AMAZING stories that have baffled, ruffled and tussled my mind, and for that I will forever be one grateful ex reader.

The love of a good book is one of the most amazing things you can pass on to your children. My eldest, now 21 years old, loves reading as much as I do. Her favourite author list would be many moons away from my own, but she loves hers as I love mine – with a passion and heartfelt gratitude that will never leave her, and something we will always be able to turn to in times of trouble to lessen the daily burden of life. My youngest children, 2 and 5 respectively, are being brought up on “Green Eggs and Ham” “The Gruffalo” and “Hairy Mclary” to name but a few and they are demanding more and more bedtime stories at times other than bedtime – So I know they are going to follow in the footsteps of their mother and sister. My Husband also is a great book lover so they have no choice really – but hey, isn’t that great? I love reading. I love the authors that provide for me that which I love. They are the unsung heroes of my generation and if reading this has inspired you to find your “people” and become part of their literary world then my job is done.

So there you have it. I’ve shown you mine, how about you show me yours? Whether it be one book that changed your world or one author your reading heart is married to, we want to know. Reading cannot ever be allowed to become a lost art…and as long as readers like us keep sharing our experiences, that will not be the case.

Follow Liz on Twitter @Lizzy11268 . If you’re a reader, writer, blogger, or just a plain interesting person, it’ll be worth your while.

N is for Not of Our Sky

April 16, 2013 by sharonsant

This is a bit of a cheat and I’ll apologise right up front. I have a new book out 1st May, the third book of the Sky Song trilogy, Not of Our Sky, and today is the day of the cover reveal. It just happens to coincide with the letter N in the countdown. A happy accident… honest. So, if you don’t want to see, you can click away now and we’ll say no more about it 😉

Jacob fights for his life and Ellen faces her toughest decision yet: whether to finally reveal his true identity to his parents. For Jacob is one of the Watchers of Astrae, a race of beings with extraordinary powers, and sworn to protect the natural order of the universe. But Jacob has broken one of Astrae’s oldest laws and chaos threatens to cover the Earth.

Alex faces the fall into darkness that has long been prophesised. Her only ally is Makash, their bitter and twisted uncle, and Jacob has already succumbed to the shadows. Who will be there to catch her?

With the first part of the ancient prophecy already coming to pass, it seems their only hope lies in the second part – the riddle of the star that will bring them back to the light. But what does it mean? And why do Jacob, Alex and Ellen all dream of the same lighthouse, night after night?

M is for Murder and Mayhem

April 15, 2013 by sharonsant

I never used to read crime or thrillers, as a rule. It just wasn’t a genre that appealed to me. It just goes to show that, despite the fact that I consider myself to be fairly widely read and open-minded, I can still be quite dismissive when it comes to what I choose to read.

However, that changed last year when I became friends with fellow writer Mel Sherratt. We met for the first time over coffee (a sort of blind date, an odd and funny anecdote in itself as I spent ten minutes staring at a woman in the coffee shop and wondering whether to go and introduce myself, only to discover that it wasn’t her at all). Mel is fast becoming something of a local celebrity in my city. She writes gritty psychological thrillers and her debut self-published novel, Taunting the Dead, a police procedural, sold by the proverbial bucketload. She introduced me not only to the fun of self-publishing, but also to a genre that I never thought I’d find myself reading. Since then, I’ve read all her books and the books of other writers I’ve met through her and enjoyed them all. I was so wrong about this genre. I’d always assumed that all books in this genre were written without any sort of literary flair. In fact, way back when, I’d probably read a few like that and, perhaps, that’s why I had left the genre behind. But picking them up again, I’ve realised that there are some amazing writers working in this genre. I recently began Pariah by David Jackson and it contains one of the most stunning opening paragraphs I’ve ever read. I’ve even beta read a manuscript by a very good friend with one of the most gripping story lines and engaging protagonists that I’ve seen in a long time and I’m hoping that she’ll publish this very soon (you know who you are!).

I’ve made a lot of writer friends from this genre and discovered a whole new world. I’ve been exposed to new and exciting influences on my own writing, so much so that my NA WIP now contains a serial killer (yeah, don’t get too excited… we’ll see if that ever pans out!). But every new idea and direction can only help to diversify what I write and make it richer. Which has to be a good thing.

L is for Lovely Little Lies

April 13, 2013 by sharonsant

We all lie. Whether we think we do or not. According to some of the fascinating studies I’ve read before writing this post, most of us lie many times a day without even realising it. One study estimated that we tell two to three lies every ten minutes. We lie about small things and big things, we lie to spare the feelings of others or to spare our own. We lie to get ourselves out of trouble or to save others from trouble. We embelish stories, we leave awkward details out. That’s a pretty hefty chunk of porkies a day. Imagine how many we tell in our lifetimes. Many of them will never be found out.

But what if you’re a writer of fiction? People lie to us even more. My family and friends almost certainly lie when they hand back a manuscript with the words ‘It was good.’ and a look of abject terror that I’ll break down into unhinged sobbing as I figure out they didn’t like it at all. Writers of fiction lie too, every time we switch on the laptop or pick up a pen and construct a sentence. We lie for fun. We create whole worlds full of fabricated events and people that don’t exist, we use every tool at our disposal to convince you that we’re showing you truth, or at least make you believe us for a little while. We do it knowingly and with intent to manipulate. We tell you that we’re going to lie to you before we dish out our big, juicy platter of whoppers. Are we forgiven? Because lovely little lies are what makes the world go around.

K is for Killing

April 12, 2013 by sharonsant

I remember my horror when I heard that JK had considered killing Harry Potter in the Deathly Hallows. It felt like she was threatening to kill her son… more than that, it felt like she was threatening to kill mine. There was a public outcry when Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes, so big that he had to bring him back to life. As writers, how much do we owe our readers? They’re our stories to tell, but when we’ve crafted a character and made everyone fall in love with them, are we allowed to kill them? Doesn’t it seem like some gross act of betrayal?

As a writer, I tend to get emotionally attached to my characters and the thought of killing them fills me with dread. Yet I know that a story full of danger and darkness will have its casualties. I can’t write a story like that in which nobody is killed, because in a story like that, someone is bound to get killed. When I was writing Runners, my editor friend said straight away: ‘Right, which character is going to die?’ To her, it’s a given that you need to kill someone, and that it should be someone significant. If I was writing crime, of course, it would be much easier. I’d just get the murder out of the way on the first page. But I don’t write crime, I write stories for young adults, and emotional ones at that (at least I think they are when I cry at the laptop). As much as I love my characters, though, I know that I have to subject them, in some part, to the risks that people in the real world face. Unless I make them immortal, then they can be hurt and killed, just like the rest of us. They feel like my kids, though, and I want to protect them like I do my own kids.

So, did I kill anyone in Runners? Maybe…

J is for Juxtaposition

April 11, 2013 by sharonsant

Juxtaposition: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect. (Oxford Dictionary)

Don’t ask me why, but I love this word. At uni, it became a personal challenge to get it into every essay. It rolls from the tongue in the most beautiful way. It sounds more intellectual than it is. I could say it all day.

I love what it represents too, the possibilities for weirdness. You can juxtapose reality with magic and get magical realism, science with antiquity to give you steampunk, paranormal and romance to give you… well, let’s not go there.

I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this post again. I just had to use this word. And, let’s face it, the only other possiblity, for me, was Jacob. Admit it, the people who know me were expecting Jacob, weren’t you? See, so juxtaposition means you haven’t had to listen to me talk about my books again. Luckily, I couldn’t think of a Merlin reference beginning with J either. As you were…

I is for Introspection

April 10, 2013 by sharonsant

I’ve been kinda flippant during most of this challenge, but a couple of days ago I had confidence crisis. I pulled out a pen and notebook to do this post, and this is what I wrote, word for word, my thoughts and feelings undiluted and uncensored:

You had a lucky escape. I soooo wanted to stick a photo of Merlin crying here – the cheekbones were mesmerising! This is pretty mesmerising, though.

Even I have days where I feel like I can’t make this writing thing work. My ultimate goal, like so many of my fellow writers, is to scrape a living doing something I love. I don’t need much. I don’t need fame or theme parks built in honour of my characters (though a girl can dream). I just want to write. Mostly I stay optimistic and focused but sometimes I look at the handful of sales I’ve made for a trilogy that took me six years to complete and I wonder whether it’s worth it. I’m not bleating, just being honest. I know that when it comes down to it, they’re just books. No one dies if they don’t sell. I have my family and friends and health. I have a decent job and hope for the future of a different kind. Even so, some days, it feels like the sky is falling in.

That was what I wrote down. But then I remembered this blog post and it reminded me of the reasons why I write. I write because I have to or my head would explode and there would be mixed up stories splat all over the wall and they wouldn’t make any sense to anyone, least of all me.

Today, I’m back to my annoying, flippant self again. I may delete this post, who knows? It feels like a weakness I shouldn’t be admitting. Or maybe it’s weaker not to admit it that sometimes I get down too.

H is for Hybrid

April 9, 2013 by sharonsant

I was recently made aware of the term ‘hybrid author’. I’d never come across this description before, but after reading this article, I realised that it actually referred to people like me. As someone who has self-published and is also awaiting publication of my first traditionally published book, I had always considered that the way I work, in terms of publishing, was a bit clumsy and indecisive. I was slightly afraid that the self-publishing I do may endanger any chances I have in the future of getting further traditional deals.

This article gives everything a fresh perspective. It seems that self-publishing has well and truly moved from out of the shadows. Where it used to be considered a last resort, it’s now a valid career choice. It’s like having your Toblerone and eating it. If this way of working is being understood and accepted within the industry as a whole, it seems the second wave of the publishing revolution is about to begin. What an exciting prospect!

G is for Gratitude

April 8, 2013 by sharonsant

I had a lovely post drafted for G. With photos of cake and everything. But life had other ideas and as I sit here with nothing but a temperamental phone, surrounded by 5 kids on a last minute emergency babysitting mission, I realise that I can’t actually get at that post to publish it. It’s likely to be a long day before I get to that post…

So I’m trying to remember everything I said in the right order. Here goes…

G is for gratitude. To everyone who has ever helped me on the writing journey. To those who have bought my books, taken the time to beta read or review or simply read for fun and sent me a kind word. To those who helped me with advice or encouragement. To those who picked me up when I was down. To those who took the time to chat and listen, either in life or online. To those who reminded me that a thing called real life actually still exists. To those who took chances on me. To those who gave me the opportunities to prove my worth. To those who were simply beautiful and inspiring. You all know who you are.

Thank you. Batman says thank you too!