Thursday 3 July 2014

Blog Hop - My Writing Process - Want to take up the Baton?


I've been nominated to take part in a Blog Hop by the lovely author, Margaret James, and if you've not read her "Charton Minster Trilogy"
 you've truly missed out on gem reads: all three!
 

 

The Blog Hop is titled "My Writing Process...."

1. What am I working on?

 
Think Regency England, a romance, several murders and mystery.
I can tell you, "For Love of Captain Jack" has been a tough novel to write. Albeit this novel is one of several Georgian and Regency Romantic Murdery Mysteries, I think my previous post on here gives insight to where I was at, not so long ago, in writing matters, being that of the hair-pulling kind. Thankfully I'm now past the "maze" stage in which characters were leading me up and down blind alleys, and where red-herrings were cropping up all over the place in order for the villain to carry out his wicked deeds. I am... Wait for it ... YES!!!  On the home run of last chapter.


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?


Ha, well... I'm not Baroness P.D. James, who ventured from her world of contemporary murder mysteries (crime novels) to the historical realms of the Regency era with her book and TV dramatisation of Death at Pemberley. Oh no, my chosen historical world fits glove-tight with my love and studies in history, and lifelong expertise in rolling equipage and equine pursuits. I do feel at one with my chosen historical periods, and I duly take risks with depicting life as it was and not by way of a rose-tinted perspective. I suppose I'm a bit of rebel at heart, and rather than parade prissy misses around the Assembly Rooms in Bath or the stench-laden streets of London, with either a chaperone or whingeing mama, my heroine's are more likely to "dare" in gracious manner within country settings and indulge the occasional jaunt into town.              


3. Why do I write what I write?


I recall my nanny once saying: "You were most definitely born several hundred years too late, my girl" and all because I likely had my head within a 17th century swashbuckling tome (Alexander Dumas), that of Jane Austen or Ann Radcliffe novels, and my secret reading was that of the salacious harlot "Angelique" - a series of novels by Sergeanne Golon (Serge and Anne Golon) a French husband/wife team. Hence historical novels have been my life-blood entertainment, though not to the exclusion of a darn good read in any genre, even gothic vampire novels.      


4. How does your writing process work?


PORTRAITS and DREAMS! In all honesty portraits are usually the catalyst to a novel, whereby the image is stored in the conscious mind - the what is she/he thinking, what made her/him smile that way, why are the eyes laughing? From such thoughts the subconscious leaps into play with overnight dreams, thus in cinematic glory characters step forth their story revealed. My task then becomes one of turning a movie into a book, by painting with words what I have seen.   

Passing on the Blog Hop Baton
 
 
I hope if you've read this you won't seriously think me as mad as a hatter, but you know what, there are the odd occasions when I feel akin to Alice (Wonderland) and that I've fallen through time into a bizarre world of make-believe...
 
And so, to the passing on of the Blog Hop baton... Whom shall I choose? To the bridge, to the bridge... Let Pooh Sticks decide who shall be the one/s... Damn it, there's only a trickle. OK, anyone up for the Blog Hop Baton? Here are the Rules below:

1. Answer the four questions above and post on your blog
2. Link back to the person who invited you (me)
3. Name the people who will be posting next. You can name one or two, it’s up to you.


All my books are listed in the left hand column with direct links to Amazon.
 
The post below reveals the cover of the novel mentioned in this Blog Hop!