Wordgirl's Work in Progress: Brit chick lit diary

Moving home...

2011-08-21T15:20:00.004+01:00

In the last two weeks, I've moved house! Both in real life and in cyberspace... So although I will be leaving my blog up here for all the previous entries, in future you can find out about my life and antics on www.kate-harrison.com/news - or on Twitter - @KateWritesBooks

There's lots of exciting stuff happening over the next few months, including publication of my first YA novel, Soul Beach - so do please say hello over at my new site.
Happy August!
Kate

May Days

2011-05-16T06:35:00.002+01:00

At the moment I have one of those never-ending to do lists, and updating the blog keeps slipping to the bottom. Two novels to write, and when I'm not doing that, I'm busy working with fantastic web designer, Katie, on my new website. I promise that should appear any minute now. And when it does, obviously, I will be a reformed blogger. Possibly ...

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you like to see in an author website? Do you have any websites you love that represent everything that's right? Do let me know, so I can make sure the website offers all the right elements!

Mad March Harrison

2011-03-27T16:29:00.010+01:00

Well, as usual, I have spent most of this month tearing around like someone who never quite catches up with herself. Brighton, Liverpool, London, Barcelona. A crazed whirlwind - and that's without talking about all the imaginary places I've been visiting in my head.

News from the Beach

I've posted it on Facebook, but at the top of this post, you can see the fantastically exciting cover for Soul Beach, my first YA novel.

Even more exciting is the fact that it's going to be one of the first books to be published as part of the brand new Indigo imprint from Orion - all the books are aimed at young adults and I took a sharp intake of breath when I realised quite how cool my fellow authors are on that list. They include Harlan Coben, Sally Gardner, Marcus Sedgwick, Holly Black and Sara Grant.

Last night I finished the first, extremely rough draft of the second book in the Soul Beach series. I'm not going to show it to anyone until I have done a whole load of work on it, but it's been a fascinating process because the imaginary world I began developing in the first book, has been growing and changing and getting creepier. I wanted to finish this one early as I am also putting the very final finishing touches to the heading-for-the-presses UK version of the first in the trilogy, and I wanted to make sure I hadn't written something in Book 1 that would tie me in knots in Book 2: little details like birthdays, anniversaries, physical descriptions that might work better if they are changed to fit the story that follows.

I am part-plotter, part fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pantser when it comes to writing, but with a trilogy you can come unstuck very quickly unless you keep track, and with an alternative world, you are courting even more danger. So, wish me luck with the second draft.

Secret Shoppers and the book after that...

The beautiful hardback and the minimalist ebook of The Secret Shopper Affair has been out in the world for just over a week now, and I've already had some lovely reviews and emails.

It feels weird leaving Sandie, Emily and Grazia behind with my next book, but I reckon I've inflicted quite enough pain and suffering on them to be going on with, so now I'm working on a new, standalone title, The Last Chance Boot Camp, which follows a group of women who are desperate to get into shape - desperate enough to sign up for a military-style residential fitness course that will test them to their limits. I did hands-on research late last year and it was one of the toughest weeks of my life. I am having flashbacks every time I write about star jumps, press-ups and six a.m. runs. But it's a great setting for lots of conflict and change - the things I love to write about - and I hope it'll be a fun read. The book will be out next January (assuming I get my act together) when we're all merrily trying to keep our resolutions.

Web world

If you've visited my website lately, you may have noticed that, um, it's not actually there. Well, actually, as of this weekend there's a holding page as we are working on a redesign with extracts and news about both my adult and YA titles, plus lots of writing tips if you have a book inside you bursting to get out (hmm - is it just me, or does that sound like a medical emergency?). I hope it'll be launched really soon, so watch this space.

I've also sorted myself a page on Facebook - so glad they no longer call them 'Fan Pages' as that was too cringe worthy, but if you want to 'like' my page, I will like you back!

Right, ought to go and do some actual writing, eh? Hope you're enjoying the spring sunshine (if you're in my hemisphere - if not, then have a bountiful autumn).

Bye for now,

Kate

Authors for Japan

2011-03-15T12:10:00.006Z

If, like me, you're watching the pictures of the devastation in Japan with a sense of helplessness, author Keris Stainton has come up with a brilliant idea to raise funds.

http://authorsforjapan.wordpress.com

Whether you're a reader or a writer or both, there's bound to be something you'll love on the site - signed books, character name offers, mentoring, critiquing. In total there are 150 items or pledges on offer - and the bidding is open now until Sunday 20th.

I'm offering to name a character after you or someone you nominate either in the Soul Beach trilogy or in a women's fiction novel: you'll get a signed copy and a mention in the acknowledgements too.

I'm also offering a critique of a first chapter/2000 words plus query letter of either a Young Adult or women's fiction novel - even if I do say so myself, I am a pretty good editor of other people's work and I know I can help you improve your work.

Of course, the point of the site isn't just to buy yourself something nice - it's also to raise funds. So take a look at the fab items on there and get bidding! I am off to choose something I like, too!

Keris has done an amazing job and we're spoiled for choice.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible

2011-02-20T21:53:00.002Z

Arrrrgh! My website's gone and disappeared. And so has my energy to blog. But I went on a social networking course yesterday and realised that it's the WORST thing I could do, web-wise. So I am here to say that VERY soon, I hope to be a fully-fledged Web 2.0 author.

In the meantime, here's the rather lovely cover of my new book, The Secret Shopper Affair, which will be out on March 17.

My own Secret Shopper Affair - do you want to join in the consumer fun?

2011-01-10T13:37:00.005Z

As you'll have noticed if you come here often, I don't. Not any more... I have lost by social networking mojo a bit, and was looking for a way to get it back. Then, this morning, halfway through the most pleasant eye test of my life (!), it came to me. I wanted to put my secret shopping experience into practice.

My Dutch cover - spookily, the spy's eyes are exactly the same colour as mine!

Most of my paid secret shopping has involved assignments where I have to go into a store, ask specific questions, note the performance of the staff member involved, and then write it all up at home.

There are a couple of problems with this: a) it involves adopting a role, which feels strange and awkward and can lead to b) the person offering a service realising that you're either a bit deranged or a mystery shopper, and changing their behaviour to reflect that. Obviously there are reasons why stores want standardised tests: but it doesn't represent the day-to-day experiences we all have as consumers. It's a snapshot, based on an atypical encounter.

I've noticed that few other stores have attempted to overcome this: Superdrug give you a receipt with an offer of a discount next time if you give feedback on your purchase, while the Co-op near me has a touch-screen where you can rate your shop as you go along.

That's quite odd, as you feel distracted by the messages, and it's also rather uncomfortable to be giving feedback 'secretly' while actually facing the check out assistant. Superdrug's system is also flawed - how many of us will make a routine of logging on when we get home to judge how well the member of staff packed our mascara, or if they offered us stamps? Though I have to say, I've noticed that in both chains, the staff seem friendlier than average, so maybe it is working for them.

Then, this morning, I had a really terrific experience when I went to the optician. No, they didn't miraculously sort out my short-sight, but every member of staff was friendly, helpful, efficient and went out of their way to help and explain things.

I did thank them at the time, but it made me want to say it in public - and then I thought it might be fun to get into the habit of giving feedback on every transaction, via Twitter and Facebook. I might also collate them on the blog.

Now, it's true I have a habit of coming up with ideas and then giving up (see last year's Photo of the Day. Or rather, don't, as they stopped mid-March).

But this could prove cathartic and enjoyable - so why don't you join me, then post with the tag #secretshopper on Facebook or Twitter (I am KateWritesBooks on Twitter) and let's tell the retailers what's working - and what's not..

Secret Shopper Kate xx

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T19:19:00.003Z

OK, not my most original heading for a blog post, but as I have been absent for so long, I wanted to start small.

I will be back again soon, full of resolutions and plans for 2011, not to mention a redesigned website. But in the meantime, may your year be as sweet as a Salted Caramel Cupcake. Wishing you health and happiness and good books to read.

The mysterious case of the disappearing website...

2010-11-11T19:56:00.003Z

Well, it's publication day - the perfect day for my website to disappear! I am looking into it, and hopefully I will crack the case soon and all my chapter excerpts and inane ramblings will be back online with the minimum of delay.

New books, writing in a rush - plus your chance to be a khaki-clad Action (Wo)Man

2010-11-09T17:35:00.005Z

Ugh, don’t you just hate it when the clocks go back?

Here in Barcelona, we’ve been trying to hold off the moment when we switch on the central heating (itself a luxury – many apartments have no heating at all) but last night we succumbed. Though when I went out to buy emergency tissues for a developing cold, I found it was warmer outside than in.

Anyway, as many of you will be aware, November doesn’t just bring darker evenings, but also National Write a Novel in a Month Month or whatever it’s called now. The name confounds me, but I do like to join in. Usually I fail – it’s somewhere around about the middle of week two (i.e. today) that apathy sets in and I begin making my excuses. Even though as a full-time writer, I have fewer excuses than most…

This time, I’ve chosen to work on the second in my Soul Beach trilogy, which might be easier to write in a rush than a stand-alone book. And the Nanowrimo target of 50,000 words isn’t all that far from the 65,000 final tally of the first book in the series, whereas my adult books are closer to 110,000. So it does feel like I could write a whole novel in this time – albeit a novel in hideous shape!

So I am fitting in my 1667 words a day around my two hour daily Spanish class, my bike ride there and back, a trip to the gym (am trying to stay fit after my monstrous Fitness Boot Camp, which I will blog about another time but is the muscular equivalent of Nanowrimo, except with no motivational chocolate biscuits, and a lot of shouting from men in khaki). Plus, my page proofs – the final chance to correct errors before a book goes to print – are due to arrive from the UK this week for The Secret Shopper Affair, and also my editor from Orion Children’s is sending me some editorial notes for the first Soul Beach book.

Somewhere in the middle of that, I will be fitting in a little light Christmas shopping, and a trip to the UK. Oh, and possibly a masterclass in making chocolate desserts.

That last one really is a very tough research job, but someone has to do it.

And – how could I leave it till now – The Secret Shopper Unwrapped is out in paperback this week! It’s a really Christmassy novel, with a fabulously festive cover, and it takes up the stories of Emily, Grazia and Sandie – plus a new, very stroppy secret shopper who will shake everything up. If you'd like a taster, the first chapter is on my website…

Or you can win a lovely fresh copy over at Mel’s wonderful High Heels and Book Deals blog, where there’s also an interview with me, plus a picture of my favourite blue suede shoes. The Daily Mail announced this week that Clarks shoes are now the height of fashion, something I realised years ago. I never saw myself as a trend spotter but there we are!

Oh, and in other news - if you're after an unusual Christmas present, you can bid to name a character in one of my novels after yourself, a friend or family member - and in aid of a great cause, Autistica, which is the largest UK charity researching the causes of the condition. I will admit I am very nervous about being on the list with some seriously famous and 'proper' authors - including David Mitchell and Maggie Gee - and there's a distinct possiblity I might have to bid for my own character, just to make sure I am not the only writer with no bids at all. The winning name will pop up in my Boot Camp novel - so if you fancy yourself as a honed PT instructor or a reformed couch potato, this could be the one for you. Go on. It could be fun!

The auction begins on November 11.

I'll be back at the end of Nanovember with a final word count. Meanwhile, if you’re Nano-ing too, I am caffeinefuelledwriter – do buddy me!

PS: spare a thought for my neglected Ford Ka on Thursday as it goes in for its make-or-break MOT. It’s been more loyal to me than I have to it, but I am hoping it will make it through the rain …

Kate's Kindle Diary Day 5 and beyond: Don't go changing...

2010-10-12T09:35:00.004+01:00

Due to a nasty autumn bug, I've been able to share more quality time in bed with my Kindle. After nine days with my grey companion, I think I am on safe ground saying that it’s more than a flash in the gadget pan... I have found my perfect e-reading match.

He might be simple. He might be a little limited. Too matt, bordering on dull at times. But, in the (supremely patronising) words of Mr Joel, I don't want clever conversation.

I love you just the way you are!

I really look forward to picking K up, and to selecting something to read that exactly suits my mood. No different from having a shelf-ful of glorious books, I guess except that a) I don’t normally buy lots of new hardbacks on the off chance I might like them enough to read past the first chapter and b) if I have too many books on the bedside table it generally freaks me out and makes me feel very guilty.

Yeah, just like Billy J, I do like the fact that the Kindle is a one trick pony. It makes it hard for me to do anything BUT read – laptops and iPads have so many other distractions, but the Kindle is for reading and I actually think it might even improve my attention span, which has been seriously eroded by surfing. There’s no over-functionality here. It does what it’s meant to. OK, there’s a browser but the temptation to check email is severely diminished by the fact that it's a terrible faff.

Sample downloading is my new vice, but it is definitely encouraging me to embrace new genres and new authors – though, crucially, I still haven’t bought anything. I will, honest. But for now, I am enjoying the pick ‘n’ mix qualities of the Kindle.

As for what it means for writers, well, many smarter people than me are pronouncing on this. I do think that that first fifty pages, always absolutely critical, becomes even more important now. In conventional bookstores, it’s the cover, the blurb on the back and the first page that seal the deal, especially for newer/less well-known authors. The e-reading fraternity have more to go on, so a cracking first paragraph must be followed by fifty more pages up to the same standard. Once I do purchase, I will be pretty sure I want to stay with that author.

Niggles – well, it does feel weird to be restricted to the UK store. I understand all about rights – a lot of my income comes from selling my work in different territories (countries or regions) – but I wanted to look at How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely (a novel, rather than a self-help book, though obviously I would love to know how to do it myself) the other day, and while it’s been published in the US, it doesn’t arrive here till next May. Somehow the question of different rights in different territories seems less relevant and more archaic when you’re downloading. I don't think rights should necessarily be changed or relaxed, because they are so important for the publishing industry, but it's an issue.

Final statistics:

Samples downloaded: 47

Classics: 8

Children's classics: 4

Money spent: £0

Oh, and one final whinge. Where’s Scrabble? The Americans have been able to download it for a while now, yet there’s no sign of it here yet. Grr.

***Mumbles off moaning whose language is it anyway. Then goes onto Kindle store to search for books about the invention of Scrabble/global English etc etc etc.

Kate's Kindle Diary Day 4 - and post number 400!

2010-10-08T08:53:00.005+01:00

Wahey, four hundred posts today! A good excuse to add the fireworks, eh? And to tell the truth I was getting a bit bored with Kindle's monochrome qualities.

Today I'm going to talk about Writing and the Kindle.

Maybe ‘digital natives’ will grow up different, but most people I know find it almost impossible to spot errors in documents or emails ‘on screen.’ Yet when the text is printed, it’s immediately obvious that your exclamation marks have been breeding and your mental spellcheck is on the blink.

That was one of my reasons for choosing the Kindle – I can upload my own work, then read it as I would a published book, even annotate as I go along. That was the theory, anyway.

My first issue was working out how to email it to myself. If you have the 3G version, you can email your own Kindle address, and pay a fee to have the material sent to you, based on how large the document is. Seems a bit mean to me, but then again I guess people might abuse it with ENORMOUS documents. You can place a limit on how much each document will cost you, so I’ve set mine to nil, plus the mailboxt is automatically set so that you will only receive emails from designated addresses (otherwise you could end up paying for spam). The emailing process also converts your document into the right .azw format for Kindle.

The alternative is to send to the FREE address which also converts the doc and sends it to your normal email address, so you can use the USB to transfer it to the Kindle, and it also sends it to your Kindle if you’re connected to a wireless network. The latter option proved irritating. I got a message on the Kindle saying an email had been sent but I couldn’t seem to ‘download’ the attachment, or work out how to swap the machine between 3G and Wifi. It all seemed too fiddly so I ended up doing a wired transfer.

But despite these delivery niggles, the reading part works terrifically well. I sent the Word draft of my new Young Adult novel, Soul Beach, and it looked JUST like a book, without the hassle of having to print it out and haul around a ream of paper, or change the formatting on Word so it’s in two columns (something I’ve done before to 'trick' myself into reading it as though a work-in-progress was a book). I could change the font size, spacing and even have the text-to-speech function read it to me. Very smart!

The commenting is also easier than I feared. Just click on a word, type and it allocates a number. You can view your annotations as a list. Having said that, I haven’t yet worked out how you transfer these or use them at the editing stage, but there’s a good article here that suggests you can. It does imply that printing is a pain, because publishers want to avoid people printing off entire books (hmm, why WOULD you do that, though? Seems like a red herring in the piracy stakes). I might actually use a different notebook for thematic questions, in the same way that with a printed paper manuscript I write on the page and then add the annotations on screen later.

This ability to read and work with your own work is cool and arguably the most useful feature for a writer. Though being able to download those lovely samples to research the best in your genre/area of interest and work out how they get readers hooked (or not, as the case may be) comes a pretty close second.

Samples downloaded: actually deleted some (by left clicking on the five-way button, took me ages to work this one out) though I will not name the two excerpts. One YA was overly Gothic for my tastes, and another chick lit was so clothes obsessed I thought it must surely have been written in the 90s. Nope. Published this year. Not for me. Now down to 24 samples.

Money spent: still none, sorry, Amazon. But soon...

Kate's Kindle Diary Day 3

2010-10-06T09:38:00.006+01:00

So, you’d be expecting something pretty wild in the ‘experimental’ section of your 2010, third generation Kindle, eh? Perhaps a demo of the kind of much-heralded multi-media content that will transform e-books (though, in black and white, it might not seem all that flash). Or a K-dar where you can match up reading matter with other Kindlers in the area, and find true love/friendship/fellow Hobbits.

Sorry to disappoint, but what you get is a not-bad text to speech program that will read to you for as long as you like, an MP3 player I haven’t tried yet, plus possibly the world’s most frustrating web browser.

Ugh. I know that it’s ‘only experimental.’ That we’re too used to touchscreens and that therefore it was always going to be frustrating. But presumably Amazon also wants to limit the amount of time/data used by Kindlers with the free 3G to check their emails etc. by making browsing as irritating as possible.

They’ve definitely achieved that. For a start, the internet looks wrong rendered as monochrome ‘printed’ text. Well, that’s to be expected, but it’s still odd to see. Interesting, but odd. The real problem is navigation, as you need to use the ‘five way’ button to select the part of the page you want to interact with, i.e. to enter a password, click on a link etc. As an internet addict, I’ve surfed on many unsuitable phones and devices, but this is easily the most irritating.

But I am a dogged sort, and I do think it could come in handy when abroad and not in the mood to clock up roaming charges or go to an internet cafe if I just want to check my email.

Kate's Experimental Wishlist
They should have included:

An iTunes ‘genius’ style function which analyses what you’ve read so far – language, theme, style – and makes recommendations depending on mood.

A Loathe-o-meter which connects you wirelessly to other readers who only got a page or two into a recent bestseller before hurling down the Kindle with dangerous levels of force.

A Truss One Click App enabling you to send corrections to authors/publishers when you spot errors of punctuation or grammar.

Amazon, honestly, you should have me on your R&D team.

Samples downloaded (total): still 26. Too busy snarling at browser to download more.

Money spent: £0

Kate's Kindle Diary Day 2

2010-10-05T15:21:00.004+01:00

Today I took my Kindle for a walk! Obviously I was worried about its little screen getting scratched and I hadn’t been able to bring myself to spend £50 on an 'official' case that really ought to be provided with it, so I googled for alternatives and decided to ‘upcycle’ an old Jiffy bag by cutting it down to half the size. I was going to post a step-by-step tutorial but I am guessing you can work it out for yourself. Perhaps I will embellish it later with ribbons to stop the Kindle falling out. I am very crafty, don’t you know!

Anyway. Took it to the park. Sure enough, the print was as clear as a book would be in bright sunshine, no dodgy reflections. I kept looking up, hoping my new baby was attracting some attention, but the nearest I came was when a man with a bag approached purposefully. Coming to admire my lovely new bit of kit, surely? No. He only wanted to sell me ‘cerveza, cola, fanta, agua.’

The truth is that the Kindle isn’t the prettiest. It’s a very Windows/PC type gadget, the plainer, more business-like cousin of a Mac or iPod. So it might be a while before anyone comes over and coos.

No matter. My Kindle passed the ‘lying on my back holding the “book” aloft’ test and the page-turn buttons on either side, which some have criticised, meant I could go back and forwards using the same hand. It actually felt lighter than a normal paperback, and equally it passed the ‘lying on my front with ankles carelessly held up in the air looking like trendy student girly type advertising the Kindle’ test.

And as I bought the 3G version (rather than the Wifi only version) I could also indulge in my new hobby of... downloading samples! The world's literature awaits. Effortless...

Which is more than can be said for - well, let's leave that one till tomorrow, eh?

Samples downloaded (total): 26

Money spent: £0

Kate's Kindle Diary Day 1

2010-10-04T14:53:00.003+01:00

OK, so it arrived on Saturday, when I was nursing an unspecified, not especially dramatic bug of the kind that leaves you lethargic and glandy, without any specific symptoms that you can use to scare the life out of yourself by googling.

My Kindle has had quite a journey – first to my parents’ in Merseyside, then to Spain, the reason being that you can’t choose to have a UK Kindle (with access to the UK titles in the shop) if you live here in Espana. Not sure of the logic of this, and I can’t imagine Europeans generally being too pleased at being linked to the US shop, but there we are.

Unpacked it in a hurry - the box said it was 'certified frustration-free packaging' which struck me as irritating. I was going to post a shot of the box but then I got a grip.

There are more techie reviews and macro close ups of the thing than you can shake a stick at on the web, and mine looks exactly the same as everyone else's. Kinda grey. What I want to do here is to talk about how it’s affecting my reading habits, so I will only say that, no, I didn't cut myself on the cutesy cardboard box and yes, the type/e-ink is amazingly clear and book-like from the moment you see the thing (the picture shows a close-up of the screen), and yes, it felt solid but light in my hand. Not pretending to be a book at all, but with enough familiarity to make the connection clear.

Initially I downloaded lots of freebie classics – including Winnie the Pooh. The illustrations looked great. But I didn't quite feel the same enthusiasm for starting on Crime and Punishment. OK, it's brilliant that the Kindle stays the same weight once I have thousands of pages of Russian Literature available to me, but embarking on a Great Work is no less daunting for that.

Hmm, I thought. Maybe I need to read something more contemporary. Shall I download The Help? Or Stephen Fry’s latest? Somehow the choice of my first paid for book seemed Significant.

It was only after reading this Guardian piece that I found the ‘read a sample’ button on the amazon page – I swear I am normally more observant but there are a lot of buttons on the right of the amazon page!

Well, that was me. Off!

Went on a downloading frenzy and, in particular, was seeking out books that had been reviewed in the weekend papers. So in went When the Lights Went Out by Andy Beckett, about the 1970s, Whoops! by John Lanchester and The Blitz by Juliet Gardiner. I can’t help thinking that Amazon should have a page for ‘featured in the papers’ with hotlinks to the reviews, as there’s something rather cool about reading a review, clicking onto Amazon and buying, within the space of a few moments. On Me and My Big Mouth (in an article originally published five years ago), Scott Pack insists that reviews don't sell books. I wonder if this might change, at least for those who live online?

Not that I have bought anything yet! No, I am still sampling away. My library includes:

Classics: Anna Karenina; Madame Bovary; Dracula; Diary of a Nobody; Crime and Punishment; The Moonstone; The Phantom of the Opera and A Christmas Carol. All free.

Children’s: The Jungle Book, Grimm’s Fairy Stories and Winnie-the-Pooh (again, all free)

Samples: oh, yes, this is the biggie: When the Lights Went Out; Whoops!; The Blitz; Agent Zigzag; Operation Mincemeat; Eat Pray Love; Freedom; Nothing to Envy; Mini Shopaholic; The Help; Sister; Room; The Legacy and A Place of Secrets.

Interesting, for me at least, that I am really open to sampling non-fiction when my usual reading is predominantly novels. Not sure how many will transfer into purchases. Or why – perhaps it’s because non-fic books are generally so heavy to buy in print? Having said that, you presumably miss out on photos (unless they are reproduced in the full versions).

Samples downloaded: 14

Money spent: £0

Day 1 conclusions: samples are like crack. As a reader, it’s fun to flit between books. As an author, it might lead to fewer sales as the reader is spoiled for choice – or maybe the iTunes effect will apply and people will be buying like billy-o, electronically, as it’s so much less painful than handing over real cash or using Amazon’s new choice of courier, Home Delivery Network which has, to put it mildly, ‘mixed reviews.’ And unread books will be less intimidating on the Kindle than on the about-to-topple-over, guilt-inducing to be-read-pile on the bedside table.

What do you reckon?

Shake-up

2010-10-04T08:57:00.002+01:00

Right, this ridiculous neglect of the blog has to stop! Just because I am writing/planning three books simultaneously and learning a foreign language and trying to shift my appalling case of Writer's Bum through painful gym-going does not mean I can become a slacker on the cyber-front.

So, stand by for Special Features. Beginning, later today, with My Kindle Diary - I know there are millions of people blogging about their New Best Friends but mine will be different, honest. For a start I will make Very Wise and Perspicacious Comments about the Future of Publishing.

Honest.

To follow that, I will be trying to blog once a week, minimum, with a mixture of writing tips, news and general musing on living in two places at once.

I just hope this new plan outlasts the my brief experiment with Photos of the Day. Hmm.

My secret project is not so secret any more!

2010-09-29T10:20:00.002+01:00

I'm thrilled to be able to talk about what's been keeping me so busy for the last few months. As well as finishing the third in the Secret Shopper books - The Secret Shopper Affair, due out next spring - I've been writing a brand new series of Young Adult books.

The Bookseller has more, but the press release from Orion Children's, is posted below. All I can say is, it's been terrifically exciting to be able to write in a new genre, for a new audience. I actually rather like writing scary stuff!

I promise there'll be more news soon of covers and concepts and so on, but in the meantime, just wanted to update this neglected blog and explain why it's been quite so neglected.

To Amber Caravéo at Orion Children's Books, her first acquisition for the Orion Children's list; the SOUL BEACH trilogy from the author of the best-selling SECRET SHOPPER novels (also published by Orion), Kate Harrison. Rights to the UK & Commonwealth (excluding Canada) were pre-emptively acquired from Philippa Milnes-Smith at LAW.

The first book in the trilogy, SOUL BEACH, will be published in summer 2011.

Amber Caravéo says of the acquisition:

'As soon as I read the first few pages of Kate's spectacular and sinister SOUL BEACH trilogy, I knew I wanted to publish. I am delighted that my first acquisition for Orion Children's Books could be something that is so original and stand-out in the YA arena.'

Kate Harrison says of her first books for a teen audience:

'I had the idea for Soul Beach after spending far too much of my writing time on Facebook, and beginning to see a darker side to social networking. After I started writing the book, I really hoped that I'd find a publisher who'd feel as excited about the story as I did, so it was fabulous when I met Amber and the team at Orion Children's, as they totally 'got it.' It's also brilliant to be able to give rein to my creepier instincts, and even better that I'm being published by the people at Orion, who have done such a great job with my adult novels.'

Brilliant chick lit event in London on August 18

2010-08-03T11:44:00.003+01:00

Just popping in, in between edits, to say hello, and let you know about a brilliant event London this month. In case you can't quite read it, here's the text - we'd love to see you:

Brixton Chick Lit – Girl’s night in
Brixton Library – 7pm Wednesday 18 August
A Night with Chick Lit Novelists
Brixton chick lit group is proud to present some of the top chick lit writers: Jojo Moyes, Matt Dunn, Rebecca Chance, Kate Harrison, Jenny Colgan and Lisa Jewell.
Laughter, discussion, questions and books - Join us for a night of chick lit fun and great conversation.
Please note that booking is essential – contact Marie Ayoola on 020 7926 1075 or email mayoola@lambeth.gov.uk
Brixton Library
Brixton Oval.
London SW21JQ.

And now for something completely different... My Soviet Kitchen

2010-07-18T16:47:00.007+01:00

Hello girls and boys,
Sorry I haven't been around much lately - combination of lots of work and various niggles (like two evil burglars nicking my laptop). I'm also having a few thoughts about how to manage the blog in future, following an inspirational session at the Romantic Novelists' Association conference. More on that soon, I hope.
In the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to Amy Spurling, author of My Soviet Kitchen. I was sent a copy of the book - and the accompanying pocket-sized companion guide - by her publishers, Roast Books, and as a current ex-pat myself, I was really absorbed by the combination of fiction and fact about life in the post-USSR world. It's funny and farcical, with a darker twist. Amy's been kind enough to answer a few of my questions below.

You can buy the book direct from Roast Books.

Kate: Tell me about My Soviet Kitchen - from the title I was half-expecting a recipe book, but it’s much more than that!
Amy: Well… it’s a novel. A humorous, somewhat-alcoholic romance set largely in a Moscow old-Soviet kitchen – hence the title! But ‘kitchen’ in Russian (kuxnya) also means ‘cuisine’ – and since food and lifestyle are bound together, it has both.
Where did you get the idea from?
Life. Mine! I spent a decade in the former Soviet Union. And also Bridget Jones. I thought the diaries were hilarious and clever but Helen Fielding only wrote two of them. So I wondered what would happen if a Bridget-Jones type went to the former USSR…
How much of the book is based on your own experiences?
Well the ‘plot arc’ isn’t. But some of the little events and observations are. I.e. I really did go to an Uzbek wedding and a sauna in Tallinn. I really did cook my shoes in the oven and get a taxi-ride in an ambulance (though it was off-duty at the time!).
What about the idea of publishing a separate companion volume?
The former Soviet Union can seem like a whole other planet – I see it as a bit like going into Narnia through the wardrobe. So the Companion guide is the wardrobe, if you like, it’s meant to get you to your destination quicker. It fills you in on the background – both the Weird and the Wonderful customs and cookery.
There’s usually a story behind the publication of a first novel – what’s yours?
When I was 19 I spent a year studying at Moscow University (a gap year). I couldn’t get enough of it – so after a few years out at uni in England I went back to Russia’s capital for another year (studying Russian). And after that, I worked as a journalist in Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) and then in Tbilisi (Georgia)… …And since the former Soviet Union is such a fascinating place and they live rather differently from us in the UK, I was bursting to tell people about it. Also, since Vodka and the Cold are what people mostly associate with the former Soviet Union I wanted to convey a bit more. Russia isn’t always cold and the former Soviet Union isn’t just Russia – there were 15 very different Soviet republics (now independent states), some of them have Asian influences, some are very North European, some more Mediterranean…
As a women’s fiction writer myself, I’m always interested in other writers’ thoughts on genre. Where do you think your book sits?
Hmm, well it has elements of the cookery book and the travelogue and the diary, but we’re calling it Neo chick-lit. I.e. chick lit with a darker side and a vodka twist. Still plenty of humour and some romance, but less shoes and handbags and a bit of entomology thrown in!
What are you working on next?
Oooh…possibly a cake book. And also something completely different: the true story of a young man who was killed in the former Soviet Union. It will probably be a sort of memoir of me getting acquainted with him after his death.

I'm still here...

2010-06-07T13:23:00.003+01:00

Despite other signs to the contrary.

But, you know, I've realised that I am better at taking pictures with words than with my camera. Not a surprise, I am sure, given how long it's been since I posted. I've been busy polishing The Secret Shopper Affair before sending it to my editor and agent (wish it luck on its journey); taking about a hundred different Spanish exams, all for the 'nivel basico' (my language school is brilliant but they do love testing); and working on a very exciting top secret project which I hope to post more on very, very soon.

Oh, and I've also been having a great time running my first online Women's Fiction creative writing course, which is proving very popular. If you want to sign up for the next time I present it (probably starting in September), take a look at the syllabus here- or leave me a message with any questions.

In the meantime, I am posting a couple of pics from our trip to sunny Valencia this weekend (and not an orange in sight).

After the break...

2010-04-14T07:48:00.006+01:00

I have been meaning to blog, but with one thing and another....

Yes, the first draft of The Secret Shopper Affair is done! Hooray - well, half-a-ray, because I printed it off and then put it aside as I know how much work there is to do on it. I think the story starts in the wrong place, and there's too much action, plus there are heaps of topics I need to research, and I need to re-read the first two books (which I never enjoy doing) to be sure of continuity etc, so it's really the end of the beginning rather than the beginning of the end. Still, have been relaxing in the four days since I pressed Print.

Actually, an awful lot of those four days has been taken up by this tome - almost 800 pages, and hyped to be the big hit of the summer:

It's always a slightly bittersweet experience for an author, reading a book they know was bought by their publisher for squillions of times more than they get for their books... but fascinating, too, to see what might have created such passion. And I have to say, The Passage is brilliant, though also responsible for quite severe wrist strain, the thing's so heavy. And it's only the first part of a trilogy.

I shan't go into plot details - one of the fun bits of reading a book before publication is that you don't have much to go on and I didn't know where it was heading. The answer - pretty much everywhere. It's hard to categorise - it reminded me of I Am Legend but also of my experience inter-railing round Europe and reading It by Stephen King and being so absorbed by the creepy clown that I didn't see much of the scenery. The book is very different - but the level of, well, addiction was similar. And I am not really a big fan of those kinds of books. I have to say that the first third was my favourite part, but that doesn't mean the rest wasn't ace, too. Worth the wrist strain, I'd say. Thanks to Gen at Orion for posting it to me (it would have taken my entire Easyjet hand luggage allocation, and would probably have exceeded the limit on Ryanair...)

Otherwise, it's been mainly cloudy, but when it's been sunny, boy, everyone's making the most of it (not our cat, btw, but a very confident neighbour two storeys up). And I am in love with spring-food, especially when used in recipes from the brilliant Ottolenghi cookbook. It's definitely my favourite recipe book at the moment.

Easter Reading: so much longer lasting than eggs...

2010-04-02T15:30:00.005+01:00

Today I hit 109,876 on my work-in-progress and I have about four chapters left to write, according to my Grand Plan... again, the Photo of the Day is losing out, as it would currently consist mainly of quirkily angled shots of laptop/keyboard/mouse. And I don't want to inflict that on anyone. So I thought I'd talk books instead, as I have a to-be-read pile that is both daunting and thrilling...

First, two books I have actually read and loved. The first, Wedlock, came with the goodie bag from the Orion party, and was also featured on the TV Book Club. It's the story of 'Britain's Worst Husband' - honestly, no exaggeration at all - and his long-suffering, foolish but ultimately valiant wife (well, two wives, actually, plus a whole host of mistresses and victims). It has the suspense of a novel, along with the insight and fresh information of the best non-fiction. I don't know that I would have bought it, but it turned out to be such a page-turner and I have been recommending it to men and women alike.

I do tend to read non-fiction - or a very different genre, like hard-boiled crime - when I am in the midst of writing a novel in case it puts me off or I inadvertently adopt the 'voice' of the author I'm reading. However, I was so tempted by the cover and idea of Louise Harwood's brand new book this time that I made an exception. Isn't that the most summery, gorgeous jacket?The story takes place on a film set, and the heroine is a make-up artist, Ella. One of the reasons I thought it might be safe for me to read is that Louise's books are aimed, I think, at a slightly younger age group than mine, and that they tend to be more focussed on the romantic relationships, whereas I tend to get side-tracked by all sorts of random topics (e.g. Brownie badges, phobias, surveillance technology, gambling rehab etc.). Overall, I thought I'd be able to enjoy the book without it affecting my own work-in-progress.

It was terrific! Ella was a great character to spend time with, both funny and feisty, and the setting was brilliantly researched - I learned so much about make-up in the movies, but I never felt overwhelmed with the detail. All the characters were intriguing and I had no idea how it was going to end - usually I do have a habit of guessing where a story is going. An additional storyline, about the First World War photographer who is the subject of the movie, was clever and interesting, and overall I think Kiss Like You Mean It would make a tremendous holiday read. I can be quite intolerant of girl-meets-boy stories where the romance alone is expected to keep the reader interested, but this was absolutely not one of those. I felt I had an insight into a different world.

So, I am now looking forward to setting aside the finished draft (maybe next week, if I get my act together enough) and embarking on a read-a-thon. I will toss a coin between the two I want next: Romantic Novel of the Year Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts: And the unbelievably huge but incredibly exciting-looking The Passage, which was very kindly posted to me by one of the editors at Orion when I didn't think I'd be able to fit it in my hand luggage from the UK to Spain. Well, it would have fitted but there wouldn't have been much room for anything else.

I will keep you posted! Happy Easter!

Quick Post - On Talk Radio Europe today

2010-04-01T10:10:00.002+01:00

I am still fighting my way through the last chapters of the Work-in-Progress, but will be taking a break today to appear on the Hannah Murray Show on Talk Radio Europe, if you fancy tuning in! I'll be talking about writing, and also about my course about Women's Fiction at Literary Chicks!

Mind the Gap

2010-03-23T20:16:00.006Z

Another intermission - sorry about that! I was back in the UK. A week of much fun and games, along with much expensive train travel. At one point we were not allowed to board a train from Gatwick because someone had vomited the entire length of the train, from first class to the other end. Shame I didn't get to snap THAT as Photo of the Day, eh?

I guess it happens to most of us, but the Photo is proving a bind at the moment. I suspect that by the end of the year I will have posted 365 images, but it's tough sometimes to come up with something interesting each day, especially when it's been rainin. Maybe I am not a visual person? Having said that, I don't think a Haiku of the Day would be any better... Also I don't want to include people pix, as it seems a bit cheeky to co-opt their faces, when I HATE having my own picture taken.

The other factor is that I am racing to the end of the Novel That Does Not Want to End. Ever. Almost at 100,000 words now, but still with what seems like half a book's worth of plot to finish. So blogging and writing about photos doesn't seem a priority.

Therefore, I will post some random pictures without much explanation and do my best to restore normal service when my creative energies are fully restored. So the pix are: first ever proper home-made tortilla espanol (courtesy of video by El Cocinero Fiel); fabulously delicious potential cupcakes for friend's wedding (not hand-made, but from Angel Food in Brighton); very romantic pudding at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards lunch; Brighton beach; and Villa Moxo, Barcelona.

Photos of the Day 67-69

2010-03-13T10:20:00.001Z

So, Barcelona's Big Snow disappeared in a single day, more or less, and we were back to spring colours.

Boyf and I then ventured out for a couple of days to Girona, which is very different in atmosphere - much quieter, apart from all the building work going on. The riverside had a very Florentine feel, I thought.

Though the place where we had lunch was much more Breton... delicious crepes, and the toilets (which I was too dignified to photograph) were built into an old school bus!

Then we were rather distracted by the dogs - you can just about see a couple of real yappers (one in the owner's arms) giving it what for.

And then this guy seemed to show such yearning as the girl in the tight jeans walked past...

Photo of the Day 66

2010-03-09T18:50:00.001Z

According to our Spanish teacher, it snows here every fifteen years or so... very pretty, but roll on spring, please?

Photos of the Day 63-65

2010-03-07T16:00:00.004Z

It's free day in Barcelona's museums today, so we popped into the Museum of the History of Catalunya to try to get a grip of the region's past. But I was distracted, as usual, by bits and bobs: a bar tableau that isn't so different from some of the ones you can find down alleyways (but that I am a bit too wimpy to go into as a non-local); a table footy game; and a rather strange tableau of giant textile worker dolls in the lobby...

Yesterday we discovered how the city's Dalek-like recycling bins are emptied (via a rather neat trap-door system).

And since Friday I have been increasingly boggled by quite how off target I am with the timings of The Secret Shopper Affair (which is what we're calling the third in the series). So I have been falling back on the old multi-coloured Post-It Notes on a Table technique (the blur is my attempt to preserve the mystery of my new plot, rather than an inability to keep the camera still). I can't decide if this technique will save the day, or is the last resort of a desperate author. Watch this space...

Photos of the Day 60-62

2010-03-04T16:51:00.004Z

Earlier this week, I looked out of the window and saw that the market tower was glowing - it did take me a few seconds to work out it was the sunset. I love the light here.

Photos of the Day 54-59: or not...

2010-02-28T14:09:00.008Z

This last week I've been in the UK, and I've realised that I don't much like taking photos of grey stuff. And it was very grey while I was in London. I haven't fallen out of love with the place, exactly, but the colours of Barcelona are very seductive and so I failed to take a single photo. But if I had, they'd have been of:

Monday: The star-studded Orion Author party at the Royal Opera House (and my tarmac studded knees after I tripped on the way to the Tube, i.e. before a single drop of champagne had passed my lips)
Tuesday: The Kew Eco Village, which I spotted from the top deck of the bus. This shot was taken last summer, but when I saw it, it looked really cold and wet and they must be very dedicated to keep going through what must be the worst winter in decades.
Wednesday: The new train line from Shepherd's Bush - I'm not a trainspotter, honest, but I do wish that had existed when I lived there. It's all new and shiny, not like the old Bush at all.
Thursday: My luggage, containing new pink mac from Uniqlo (hurry up and open in Barcelona, please); a bottle of chilli relish; 1.2kg of Davidstow Cheddar cheese, and the Wii Fit Balance Board.

Friday: Menu del dia at El Atril - yes, seems like I lost the habit of taking photos even now I'm back so I'm using the one from their website.
Saturday: apple crumble as served by our friends for pudding. Oh, and me trying out The Biggest Loser for the first time (the events are unconnected, or maybe not). Ye gods, how red was I by the end of my Wood Chops!
Sunday: balconies as viewed while drinking coffee in the Paseig Del Born - it's great to be back...

Days 51-53: sunshine, showers and spring onions

2010-02-21T18:50:00.003Z

More days out with the boys... On Saturday we went out into the countryside an hour an a half from Barcelona. The occasion: a calçotada, or feast devoted to the spring onion like veggies that are hugely popular in Catalunya at this time of year. The onions themselves are just one of what seems like an endless stream of dishes in a party lasting for about four hours. The onions are roasted on coals and then you strip away the outer leaves to reveal the succulent inners, which you then dip in romesco sauce (on the right of the picture). Repeat until very, very full.

Then today there was a fairly random parade featuring people in South American costumes, and children dressed as chickens. And our guests enjoyed taking pictures of the shutters on our walk around our barrio...

Photos of the Day: 46 to 50

2010-02-19T15:08:00.004Z

This week we've got some young visitors - and with them, we've had an insight into what they like about Barcelona, including...

Photos of the Day 42, 43, 44, 45... losing count

2010-02-15T08:19:00.006Z

OK, so now I'm losing count of which day it is...but here are some from our weekend.

On Friday I spotted a wonderfully colourful patisserie selling Valentine's goodies.

On Saturday, we took a workshop at the Chocolate Museum, which was terrific fun - although the weather is so unseasonally cold here now that our goodies were setting very fast, which is my excuse for my very messy efforts.

Saturday evening was Carneval - we did head for a bar after half an hour before the heavens opened and did the Barcelona rain thing (a very specific kind of downpour where the water gets everywhere), but the carnival performers kept dancing, which meant at least they kept warm.

Then Sunday was the half-marathon. Business as usual in Barcelona, and we didn't even see the Corre Foc or Santa Eulalia celebrations...

Photos of the Day 39, 40 & 41

2010-02-11T15:44:00.004Z

I haven't forgotten - but the writing is taking over a bit, plus the weather was bad for two days and nowhere is photogenic in the rain (not like in the movies, eh?).

The top picture is of the challenges I've been completing with the pedometer on my new iPod - I must admit I am a complete sucker for that kind of thing, currently working my way through a box of chocolates (and a very small box at that) which takes 28,000 steps!

Middle one is of the delicious goat's cheese I bought from La Seu to welcome boyf back from the UK (don't you love the texture of the greaseproof paper, and the creamy colour of the cheese through it).

And the other two views from the seventh floor at the language school. I always run out of breath by the fifth floor (and there are only two awfully unreliable lifts as an alternative) but it's worth it for a view like that, eh?

Photos of the Day 37 and 38: dancing girl

2010-02-07T18:23:00.004Z

Been running, writing, stitching. And making progress on all three. As usual the progress on the stitching is the easiest to see. Although I won't be giving up the day job just yet... colours are a bit dodgy, but the variegated floss is purplish-pink and white. And as for the face, well, that's the part I struggle with the most. Ah well. Only an apron, eh?

Am just over halfway with the novel, I'd say. Which means going back to my initial 'grid' planning tool and working out whether the balance and pace is right. I'm juggling four POVs and four stories, so at the moment I'm almost certainly not getting it quite right, but that's what editing is for. I also have to do the boring bit of working out dates and times to stop me ending up with two Easters, fourteen month pregnancies, missed birthdays and all that jazz. Because if I don't notice, someone else is bound to...

Photo of the Day 36: a greenhouse...

2010-02-05T17:24:00.002Z

This is one of my favourite buildings, and today it looked terrific in the sunshine. It's the Hivernacle in the Ciutadella Park, and I love the way its design echoes the design of the inverted u-shaped Umbracle (shade garden/palm house) that you can just see in the distance in the first picture, and also the shape of the market that is being refurbished by our flat. I believe they were all built around the same period, for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The two sides of the Hivernacle are very different - the second picture shows the triffid-like plants that always seem to me to be fighting to get out, and the third is the fully refurbished other side. I understand there used to be a cafe there, but at the moment it's closed, except that at Christmas the middle courtyard became a temporary sleeping/meeting point for about a dozen homeless people.

Photos of the Day 34 & 35

2010-02-04T21:10:00.003Z

Trying to have a few fast and furious writing days this week - yesterday it was sunny, which made it tougher, but today was the perfect weather for work, because I didn't have that English thing of 'ooh, must go outside while the sun's shining.' But the building site opposite us is very distracting... The cranes keep moving enormous panels through the air at a rate of knots, and this time it felt like it was going to crash right through the window...

Oh, and yesterday's photo is of a costume shop. Might invest in that natty red number for publishers' party, perhaps?

Photos of the Day 32 & 33

2010-02-02T13:33:00.003Z

Sunday was rainy, so I am cheating with extra photos from today and yesterday. My Monday Mission was to go and find a recommended wool shop in Gracia, Llanes Travessera. I did find it, though I am still pretty boggled by what yarn is suitable for what project, and my Catalan is not up to the job of asking. Reminds me a bit of when I discovered gardening and was utterly muddled by mulch.

Anyway, it was a very sunny day, if cold, so I took a walk back and stumbled upon the Sagrada Familia. Haven't been up in that direction for ages and it just appeared, and reminded me how lucky we are to be here.
As well as discovering the yarn shop, I went into Lidl, and had a good gawp at mysterious brands. I haven't had much luck finding growing herbs here in the supermarket, but there by the check out was a big pot of basil, and it's now happily installed by our sunniest window. I just love the scent...

Today's two pictures are of my latest projects - MP3 socks. The lovely tutor at my final amigurumi class suggested making them - all around me, the other women were making gorgeous tiny rabbits and dogs, while I made an over-sized orange, and I think we can safely say that I don't have a great future as an amigurumi-ist. But I have rather enjoyed making these two iPod cosies - and, like I've said before, I cannot get over how much I adore multi-coloured wool. It makes me feel all warm inside.

Photo of the Day 30: French Fancy

2010-01-30T13:59:00.003Z

The sunshine is deceptive today - actually it's rather chilly. But this morning I spotted these cushions lined up outside a bar we like, and thought they'd make a sweet photo. One was taken at 10, the other at 12.15 when the sun had come out. A spot for when it's warmer, I think.

Photo of the Day 29: spring feeling

2010-01-29T18:30:00.002Z

There was something about the flowers - no idea if it's a real plant or not - against the creaminess of the building and the pale blue sky that made me feel spring-like this afternoon. Which is not a bad feeling for a Friday...

Photos of the Day 26, 27, 28

2010-01-28T15:12:00.002Z

Oh, I did have a lovely birthday. Starting on the beach, with croissant de chocolate and hot coffee, as pictured. 15 degrees C - perfect. Then my Spanish exam result (I passed), then delicious lunch, then time for lunch to digest before cocktails, dinner and then more drinks with friends till about 2am.

All of which means that I don't have a photo of the day for the 27 as I didn't leave the flat... (white wine? What was I thinking? White wine never agrees with me)

Then this morning I queued to enrol in the second term of the Spanish course. Not so warm today - my feet froze after thirty-five minutes. Forgive the low-res picture, which shows just some of the massive queue for enrolment, but the gorgeous new iPod I got for my birthday turns out only to have a video camera, not a stills camera, which seems v v bizarre. But I love it otherwise. Planning to investigate all the functions, including the pedometer!

Birthday Treat - Reduction on my Writing Women's Fiction course

2010-01-25T17:07:00.005Z

As it's my birthday today - not saying, before you ask - I've been talking to the nice people at Kingston University about offering a special reduction on the Writing Commercial Women's Fiction course I'm running there from March 15 to 18.

The full price is £195 but from today until February 14, you can book the course at the Early Bird rate of £165. For that, you'll get four workshops over consecutive evenings: the full information is here. And given that the discount lasts until Valentine's Day, you might like to suggest to any ever-so-generous Valentines that they could treat you...

Photo of the Day 25: bad taste

2010-01-25T16:54:00.006Z

My dental history is chequered. As a result of too many close encounters with the drill, I am on the look out for anything that might help me hang onto my teeth for as long as possible. So I bought the innocuous-looking Corsodyl Daily toothpaste from Boots when it was on promotion. I have used the Cordosyl mouthwash now and again - foul stuff that stains your teeth, makes your food taste rank, but does also help stop your teeth falling out if your gums are getting a bit lax.

The little diagram on the back should have been a clue.

Anyway, turns out that 'unique taste and sensation' is copy-writing code for 'this is THE MOST DISGUSTING TOOTHPASTE EVER.' It's hard to sum up the sheer evil of it. Imagine rock salt mixed with pink soap and a quick spray of some kind of herbal eco-perfume (like when you accidentally breathe in too soon after a squirt of eau de cologne), with added clay to give a claggy texture that ensures the taste won't disappear for at least twenty minutes after you've brushed. However, as it cost £2.99, and the diagram promised increased product satisfaction over time, I decided to keep going. It became a ritual, morning and night, to see if I could endure.

And guess what? You can get used to pretty much anything. In fact, I wonder if they made it extra nasty on purpose. I also wonder if that's a peculiarly British, or maybe Western, view: that in order for something to do you good, it must taste foul (see also, cod liver oil).

My gums seem quite peachy so far, though.

Photo of the Day 24: clumsy but cute

2010-01-25T16:37:00.002Z

More amigurumi from me. I found this fabulous free pattern on the truly gorgeous Owlishly blog. My finished version is nowhere near as cute as the one wonderful Sleepy Sarah on the site, but the instructions are terrific and I think mine might work well as a skittle as she falls over very easily (a little like her maker - I still have the bruises from falling up the stairs last week).

Coming up tomorrow - a special birthday promotion for anyone who wants to sign up for my next creative writing course!

Photo of the Day 23: horses for courses

2010-01-23T15:41:00.004Z

One of the best things about the Photo a Day has been that I carry my camera round with me everywhere. So on the way back from my ganchillo/crochet course today, I stumbled across this amazing parade of horses (and the odd ox) along the famous Ramblas.

As usual, the cleaning force were right behind, so that within minutes of the parade passing by, the streets were entirely manure-free! Apparently this is the Festa of the Tres Tombs, and later on, pets will have been blessed in a special church service.

Photo of the Day 22: best place to run

2010-01-22T19:36:00.002Z

I am still trying to turn myself into a runner - there's talk of a 10K in April, and today I managed to run for the longest ever outside, 40 minutes. I covered 3.5m which I know isn't exactly a marathon, but I felt chuffed. I'd remembered my camera this time and saw this band playing right at the end of my run (actually, I saw about four bands along the beach and harbour, and this was 4pm on a Friday afternoon). That's my excuse for getting my shadow in shot, btw. But I have to say, I cannot imagine a more varied, inspirational place to go jogging...

Photos of the Day 19, 20, 21: climate change

2010-01-21T20:30:00.003Z

The weather was seriously cloudy and grey at the start of the week, and the city is so much less photogenic then! Which is why I have resorted...eek...to a cat picture. I maintain, however, that the image is really a craft picture, as it shows what you can do with the random crocheted bits that didn't quite work (in this case, bunny ears belonging to an amigurumi that wasn't right).

The soup picture is also weather-related - I'm doing that whole January thing of trying to shift the extra pounds, so this yummy soup (the roasted method, with a bit more pepper, and some fresh tomatoes instead of canned) is perfect when it's chilly outside. And eating soup and writing is pretty much all I did that day.

And then this morning the sun came out again and I got two VERY nice Bicings on my way to and from the gym. As a rule, the higher the number, the better the bike. Bicing is an amazingly good system where you buy a year's membership card and can then use bikes that are stationed all over the city and then anchor them again at another station, without having to worry about your precious bike being stolen or vandalised. The downside is that sometimes it seems like two-thirds of the bikes are knackered - if it's not the tyres, it's the brakes, the steering, the gears or sometimes all four. But today it was like cycling on air. So, thank you, number 19411, for a delightful ride.

TV Book Club & other Herculean tasks

2010-01-18T19:10:00.009Z

Like many other members of the Twittering classes, I took time out to watch the first episode of the TV Book Club on More 4 last night. There seems to be a consensus among authors and publishers (i.e. not exactly the most representative of audiences) that the balance felt wrong – too much time on Chris Evans’ autobiography, too little on the book of the week, The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters. Plus the fact that gorgeous Laila Rouass barely got a word in, while Gok Wan’s joke about the fact he was still learning to read seemed to undermine the purpose of the show. Oh, and then there were Jo Brand’s distracting two-tone spectacles. I don’t have much to add to the reviews (though, glasses aside, I think Jo is a good choice of host – not only is she an author in her own right, she’s also been a judge for numerous literary prizes). But I do have a slightly different perspective in that as well as being an author, I worked for three years as a TV Development Producer – and, because I adore books, I spent a fair amount of my time trying to develop shows that would celebrate or capitalise on the popularity of book clubs, not to mention the widespread ambition to ‘do a JK Rowling.’

I remember a fairly thankless time pitching a host of ideas, including:

A competition for new children’s authors, in a programme that also celebrated the history of children's fiction, and profiled possible candidates as the next ‘JK’
A boot camp style write-a-thon where celebrities and members of the public would be kept prisoner over a fortnight to try to write the best book/story
A romance writing show, to tie in with Valentine’s Day, where famous writing mentors/famous lovers would help new writers produce the most romantic story – and in the process, discover more about how we love in the 21st century/what men and women really want.
A show that contrasted the real lives of authors – their dalliances, problems, crises – with those in their books.

Hmm. OK, so none of them are exactly threats to Big Brother... I left the BBC in 2006 – since then, similar shows to these have cropped up across the networks –not because they were copied but because, as in fiction, certain ideas are out there in the ether. Have any of them become big hits? I haven’t studied the figures, but I don’t think any of them have been outstanding successes.

Well, duh. Forgive me if I am stating the bloody obvious, but the problems with featuring books and writers on TV is that a) writing is excruciatingly dull to watch and therefore film and b) reading is a solitary experience, and one where taste is incredibly individual. In contrast, telly relies on engaging mass audiences by giving them a shared experience or appealing to a shared interest.

The Richard and Judy Book Club worked because we already had a relationship with our hosts – we felt we knew them and their quirks, that made us prepared to listen to their views on books and subjects we hadn’t heard of. And, most important of all, we knew that the book club spot didn’t last forever and if we never read anything apart from Take a Break, we could put the dinner on while we waited for the next item on Stephen Fry or Posh and Becks or on a woman who had survived four months in the Gobi desert on only a can of Diet Coke and a slab of Kendal Mint Cake.

Of course, the publishing industry loved the R&J Book Club because it made it easy to sell books – the adoration wasn’t unconditional, because if you were publishing a R&J style book at the same time that the club aired, it risked sinking without trace. But broadly the book trade liked it, the viewers enjoyed it, and everyone was happy-ish.

But basing an entire show on books is a much bigger challenge. There are three options: the talent show/competition route, the profile/genre route and the magazine/celeb route. Unlike some of the commentators within publishing, I don’t think that last route is wrong in itself. After all, whatever publishers think, More4 and its advertisers care about bums on seats, which means putting the audience before vested interests. OK, some of the book choices seemed a little obvious – by no stretch of the imagination are Nick Hornby or Sarah Waters ‘new talent’ – but perhaps if the show delivers an audience, the choices will become more diverse.

The issue for me is the result – even though it’s not completely fair to judge a show on its first episode. My worry is that it won’t become anyone’s ‘must watch’ – if you’d read The Little Stranger in anticipation of the Book Club experience, you would have felt very short-changed by the superficial and rather snarky discussion. If you tuned in hoping for ideas to widen your reading, last night’s show offered nothing new. If you’re a casual channel-hopper, then a brief and rather fawning panel interview with Chris Evans offers you nothing you can’t find elsewhere.
I honestly hope the show develops and succeeds, perhaps with more coherent discussion of the book, and some clearer format moments - an ‘if you like this, try these books’ slot might be fun, or a ‘what are they reading on the Number 7 bus vox pop,’ for example. And I think there’s scope to develop what seemed to me the best part of the show, when Sarah Waters discussing her novel and her work.

Maybe there’s something to be learned from what, for my money, were the two best shows on books and writing in the last decade or so. For mainstream appeal, The Big Read is the clear winner. It worked because even if you hadn’t read a book, most of the titles were famous enough that you might have seen the adaptation or at least known a little of the story, and so you were interested invest time in finding out more. It used celebrities who did genuinely seem passionate about the books, and the voting element gave it momentum, too.

The other success for me was the brilliant Scribbling, a documentary series which profiled interesting, eccentric authors (the episode on Rob Newman was fascinating because he was struggling, while those on Geoff Ryman and Minette Walters were also compelling).

Personally, I think there could be mileage in newer versions of both of those – the Big Gory Crime Read or the Big Love Story or Big Smart Read to Help You Pull the Opposite Sex, maybe.

And who knows? Maybe now that we’re so weary of 'reality', we might enjoy documentaries featuring talented, peculiar writers with fat bottoms and silicon-free cleavages who can’t afford to give up the day job, but still write into the night, or between shifts or nappy-changes, because it’s what they were born to do...

PS: interesting blogs on the same show here, here and here.

Photo of the Day 17 - Say cheese!

2010-01-17T19:56:00.003Z

OK, this is a bit of a cheat as the photo is actually from last night, but it's been a rainy, mildly hungover sort of Sunday, and yesterday's pix are far more interesting. We went to our favourite cheese shop, Formatgeria Le Seu, as part of a group outing by the Barcelona Food Events Meet-up Group. The store is run by an amazing Scottish woman, Katherine McLaughlin, who has scoured Spain for the yummiest farm cheeses for her shop, and also serves them with wines and sherry in a tiny dining area at the back.

Whenever we've been there before, we've always done a Top of the Cheeses vote. This time, the goat's cheese in the middle there was my Number One, and the softer cow's cheese on the far right the runner-up. But it's a testament to the quality of the cheese there that, even though I usually loathe blue cheese (why would you eat mould?), I ate every crumb of the extra-strong blue one...

Next time, I must try the cheese ice-cream!

Photo of the Day 16: Ganchillo Day

2010-01-16T12:17:00.003Z

I might just be the nightmare student for an amigurumi teacher. My crochet is self taught... I hold my hook like I'm doing battle with the yarn... and Spanish is a (very poor) second language for me. But I did think that it might be useful to take a course, to improve both my vocab and my stitches...

The teacher, Nuria, has the patience of a saint, as well as a lovely line in crocheted cacti, and so this morning I've been getting to grips with puntos bajos and anillos and cadenetas.

This doesn't yet look like anything, of course, but it's pleasingly regular and a very pretty chick lit pink. She also gave us a simple pattern for a borro - a cap - and so I had to go right back to the wool shop and buy some ridiculously fussy yarn to see if I can do it. I actually think the yarn looks nicer in photos when blurred, though: in focus it has a rather pubic quality (though luckily not in real life)...

Photo of the Day 15: Mutton, lamb, sequins

2010-01-15T15:08:00.004Z

I would say that, in general, stuff you buy in Barcelona is more expensive - whereas eating/drinking out is cheaper than the UK. But the sales/rebajas are something else: a full-on retail reductions frenzy. So today I braved the shopfloor - I haven't dared so far - and bagged the following, for under 60 Eur.

Green and red are my favourite colours - I've never had my colours 'done' but now I zone straight into those shades. The top has sleeves like those little paper cuffs you used to get on legs of lamb, so perhaps, as it came from Mango, I should call it my 'mutton dressed as lamb' top. Only downer - as a curvy UK size 12, I do balk at having to buy EXTRA-large sizes here.

But my favourite is definitely the bag. Rarely do you find an evening bag large enough to take more than a lipstick and a teeny tiny phone. Which, as a clutterbug, I find impossible. This one could almost hold my netbook! Hoorah for rebajas!

PS: apologies for three posts today. Gone a bit blog-crazed.

Info for Writers: Short Story Competition and Women's Fiction Course

2010-01-15T08:52:00.005Z

Whether you're finishing a short story, or writing a novel, I have a couple of notices that might interest you.

First of all, I'm thrilled that this year I'll be judging the Frome Festival Short Story Competition. The winners will receive a cash prize (£300 for the best story) and their stories will be read by a London literary agent and published on the website. Along with my fellow judge, short story writer Paula Williams, I'm looking forward to reading the entries.

Second, I'm leading another course at Kingston University (half an hour from Waterloo) from March 15-18. It's based on the successful course I ran last year with Louise Voss, but this year's course will be much more workshop based, with more practical exercises and time for critiques. I'm running it each evening between 6-9pm - so if one of your resolutions is to start or finish your novel, then it's an intense but fun week which will fit in around other commitments and will help you stay motivated and clarify what makes your work special.

I've posted the programme below, and you can book here. Kingston are running a range of other brilliant writing courses, including a work-in-progress course with Louise, so check it out!

What's the course about?
From Marian Keyes to Jodi Picoult and Victoria Hislop, the women's fiction genre is wide-ranging and vibrant - and publishers are always looking for new voices to entertain, amuse and move readers.

This course offers four days of practical workshops and lectures on the essentials of writing for this genre. We'll cover generating original ideas, developing compelling characters, key elements of structure and story-telling; and, finally, approaching publishers and agents with your work. It builds on last year's successful Head over Heels course, with more time for feedback and workshopping.

What topics will we cover?
This course will combine workshops/exercises with short lectures on key practical techniques and tools. The sessions are:

Session 1: That's the Idea:
In this session, we'll use tried and tested brainstorming and outlining techniques to develop your novel idea, whether it's a still only a one line long, or is a completed first draft. Using The Grid, Kate's own novel-planning tool, we will look at the ‘hooks' of best-sellers in the genre, and apply those techniques to our own ideas.

Session 2: Heroes and heroines
In women's fiction, characters are paramount: the reader must empathise with your hero or heroine's struggles or journeys, even if they don't always like them. In this session, we use a variety of character building tools to develop rounded, believable characters. We also take a look at dialogue, and at choosing the best viewpoint for your story.

Session 3: Are you sitting comfortably? The art of story-telling
A story without struggle isn't a story - so we use the work we've done on character, and techniques taken from successful novels and from movies, to work out how to keep the story progressing, and the reader hooked. We'll also analyse works-in-progress to spot potential areas for improvement.

Session 4: Agents, advances and literary fame: the lowdown on getting published
In this session, we focus on marketing your novel to agents and publishers. We explore why titles can mean the difference between success and failure, at approaching agents and publishers, and at the best ways of maximising your chances of standing out from the crowd.

Who is it for?
This course is suitable for writers who enjoy women's fiction and are interested in breaking into the genre. It's suitable for students who are currently working on a novel, or those who may be new to writing but have an initial idea for the book they want to write. It's also suitable for students who attended Head over Heels, as the exercises and workshops are new.

At the end of the course, you will have:

Had feedback on your idea and writing from workshops and the tutor;

Written an enticing treatment or ‘blurb' for your idea, with a clear sense of where your novel might fit within the genre;

Developed your heroine/hero and written at least two key scenes/pieces of dialogue;

Outlined the structure of your novel and the key dramatic conflicts. If your novel is a work-in-progress, you will have identified issues around pace/tension;

Researched agents/publishers and drafted a query letter to send with your completed novel;

Worked out a plan of action to help you complete and market your novel.

Will there be any work outside of class/before the course begins?
Yes, an exercise will be set each evening, to maximise your progress. Before the course begins you will receive a brief reading list (optional) to help prepare for the course, and there will also be the opportunity to submit work to Kate beforehand. In addition, Kate will offer detailed critiques and help with work-in-progress after the course is completed, for an additional fee.

Photo of the Day 14 - window shopping

2010-01-15T08:36:00.002Z

I've had to mess around with this picture a little, because I am not great at taking pix through glass, but it's of the window at Brunells, a yummy pasteleria/sweet and cake shop near us. Usually I am distracted by the huge piles of chocolate and biscuits, but in my new Photo of the Day mode, I caught sight of this... Is there some strange Spanish or Catalan reason why you would display biscuits and meringues (you can see them on the right) next to an old typewriter and an electricity meter? A little notice helpfully points out that these are not for sale...

PS: in answer to the messages about my non-picture, yes, actually, the men weren't in bad shape... But still!

Photo of the Day 13 - er, you'll have to use your imagination

2010-01-13T17:08:00.002Z

OK, I meant to take my camera when I went running, but I forgot. So imagine if you will, me running along the path alongside the beach when two men walk past, stark naked. I was two miles from the nudist beach, and even though the temperature was about 12 degrees, it's hardly tropical. But there they were, all-over tanned, wearing sandals and nowt else, surrounding by people in hats, scarves and coats.

Of course, this being Barcelona, no one looked twice.

Are you glad I didn't take my camera now?

Photos of the day 11 & 12: ladders & languages

2010-01-12T19:06:00.003Z

Yesterday's pic is of the huge crane that's just arrived in our barrio - there was something about the triangular shape that made it seem almost architectural to me...

And then today's is the books I am mainly reading this evening - exam tomorrow. I found out today that in the week I missed before Christmas, the rest of the class learned an entire new tense. Whoops. Better get back to it!

Photos of the day 9 & 10: sun and shopping

2010-01-11T14:09:00.004Z

I love the design and colour of this derelict cinema - I love a multiplex as much as anyone, but it's a shame these buildings can't thrive too.

This is Placa Reial, normally a real tourist haunt, but on Sunday it was packed with locals, eyeing up the coin market.

From Saturday - I loved the way the tower at Santa Maria del Mar was swathed in net, like a bride, and you can just see the memorial flame too on the left.

Our haul from the British supermarket....

A cold but sunny weekend here: the cold killed my camera battery after taking just one shot on Saturday. On Sunday we had a good mooch, ending at the British supermarket. I wouldn't say I'm desperate for 'delicacies' from home (except Sainsbury's Saag Paneer, oh, yum, I miss that!), but I did have a Quorn craving. No fresh sausages in the shop, but we did buy:

Marmite (which, to be fair, we can buy in a few places here but we thought we'd snaffle some anyway)
LEMON Golden Shred (boyf's breakfasting choice)
Two jars of different chutneys (I love chutney)
A brick of Cheddar
Weetabix
Golden Syrup (more for the tin than the contents: a) it's not very low-carb and b) to bake anything here I'd need to go back and buy British flour and sugar etc as the Spanish brands are completely different and friends have had VERY mixed results when baking)
and finally...Chocolate Angel Delight (not my idea. I adored the ads when I was a kid but whenever we had some, I thought it was icky)

Photo of the Day 8: Crochet or spaghetti?

2010-01-08T16:35:00.003Z

It's definitely crafting weather, and I've just started a project from The Happy Hooker (which is about crochet, obviously!) in rather fabulous shiny turquoise yarn. The idea is for it to turn into a very slinky wrap/shawl affair but at the moment it looks like something that the cat brought in. Following patterns is harder than it looks. Not that I will be wearing it for a while, though, given the forecast.

Photo of the Day 7: Essential Winter Kit

2010-01-07T16:44:00.004Z

It's the first day of the sales here - and I never guessed that top of the list would be a huge thick pair of slippers that cover the ankles. But it does get cold here too, and the forecast for this weekend is for actual SNOW. Writing and keeping warm don't always go hand in hand (or foot in foot) so I snapped up this very subtle pair for about 8 Euros, and my quality of life has improved approximately 200%.

Photo of the Day 6 - and Marian Keyes

2010-01-07T09:17:00.002Z

Some days the photo is obvious – others you need to go looking for it. Today was one of the latter, so I looked hard, and found this sparkly window walking home through our neighbourhood. But it’s the stonework lettering underneath that really caught my eye: the fact that a craftsman was paid to engrave ‘Agricultural Insecticides’ on the outside of the building, and did it beautifully. If a job’s worth doing...

But I was also distracted by Marian Keyes’ newsletter, in which she explains that she is currently suffering very badly from depression. There’s been a lot of news coverage about it, which I won’t link to, as some of the comments have been negative and ignorant. I think her openness does her tremendous credit, and may help to increase understanding about mental illness – and what few of the newspaper articles have mentioned is that at the bottom she has added some quotations she’s found helpful (though reading them also gives an insight into how bleak she must be feeling).

I’ve only met her once and she was so charming and lovely that my boyfriend always smiles when he sees me reading one of her books, and he talks about that party and that short conversation. She’s a person who makes a difference to people.

She’s also a very gifted writer, and I wonder if that gift comes, in part, from her sensitivity to the people around her, and to emotions. That hyper-sensitivity brings both pleasure and extreme pain, and I feel for her so much right now. It’s profoundly unhelpful to say to someone who is clinically depressed that you ‘know how they feel’ (and don’t even get me started on ‘buck up’ or ‘pull yourself together’) because the experience is unique to the sufferer. But I do think that many creative people will identify with her experience. I’ve had bouts of depression through my life, sometimes when everything seems – from the outside – to be going swimmingly. What I do know is that depression is terrifying and, as Marian says in her newsletter, the worst part is that you don’t know when, or if, it’s going to end.

I’ve come to realise that I will use any weapon in the armoury to try to stop the Black Dog in its tracks. Exercise helps, but if you’re already falling down the pit, then donning the trainers or doing a hideous step aerobics feels as unattainable as jumping to the moon from a trampette. Eating well is good, too, but if you have no appetite for life, then food seems unimportant. Pills sometimes help bring a little colour back. Talking can be good, up to a point, although you bore yourself (and those around you) very quickly. Counting your blessings - writing them down, for example - can be useful, though again it can also feel a bit like your mum telling you to swallow the one vegetable that makes you gag, because of the starving children in Africa. You know you ought to grateful, you know billions are suffering ‘properly,’ and yet you’re lost in this world of blackness and the guilt makes you feel even worse.

All you can do is to try a bit of everything, whenever you have the energy, and try to remind yourself that you’ve come out of it before, so you will again.

I’ve also accepted that being a sensitive plant is in my nature – and that it’s probably what made me want to be a writer, to observe and process the people and events around me. I feel things at a ridiculously personal level – news items, movies, books, songs – but maybe that has its bonuses too. When I am low, it’s hard to see that. But when I’m more balanced, I can persuade myself that seeing the world as I do is what makes me who I am, for all my strengths and weaknesses.

I don’t know if it’s the same for Marian Keyes, but my hunch says it might be.

I hope that Marian is able to see her own many, many strengths again before too long. And that there’ll come a day soon when she’ll be able to read the many thousands of messages of support and realise that to touch so many people is a gift that comes, in part, from being someone who feels things so deeply.

Photo of the Day 5: Three Kings

2010-01-06T08:57:00.010Z

While the UK struggled back home from work through the snowdrifts, last night half a million Catalans came out to watch the Reyes Magos parade through the centre of Barcelona. I've never seen Three Kings before, but it was stunning. The procession lasted a good forty-five minutes and we barely noticed the drizzle. OK, so there was a high risk of eye injury from the concerted sweetie-throwing (some old hands turned their umbrellas upside down to maximise their catch), and further risk because the locals are not great on umbrella etiquette generally (as rain is much rarer than at home). And I didn't quite see the traditional religious significance of the scary giant alien baby, or the Betty Boop style doll with mismatched eyes. But it was a stunning spectacle, all the better for a glass of vino tinto or two afterwards. Hmmm. That no alcohol pledge lasted four days, then.

P.S: sorry about the gaps between the pix, have spent ages and can't fix it without deleting them, grrr.

Photo of the Day 4: Back to Work

2010-01-04T15:23:00.003Z

The view from my desk... I think there's a message in there. The two tiny figures on the roof don't seem to have Builder's Block so I guess I shouldn't claim Writer's Block either.

Photo of the Day 3

2010-01-03T13:32:00.004Z

Wehey! Managed to do some proper writing today, first time in ages. Part of my lack of progress has been due to excesses of chocolate and booze. Part of it's been because I've been tweaking a tricky chapter that I wanted to get right before moving on.

But I'm aiming most of the blame right here:

For a writer, there's something very painful about reading a book that is as pitch perfect as One Day. I had heard plenty of good things in advance - not least from Jess Ruston in her review of the book for Read Like a Writer - but even so, when my friend Mary gave me her copy, I wasn't sure I'd like it. I'm not a big fan of hyped books, in general.

But ooo! It's seriously bloody good, so that at first I was rationing myself to a year at a time (the book's central novelty is that it tells the story of two characters by returning to them on the same day each year). Then I couldn't bear the rationing any more.

Some of the brilliant things about it: the flawed but likeable central characters, the warmth, the humour, the humanity, the funny observations. If this doesn't win a heap of awards, then something's very wrong with the book world. A tie with the Guernsey Potato Pie book for my favourite in the last year. No, actually, I think One Day wins...

I finished it, in floods of bittersweet tears, this lunchtime, which is why it's my Photo of the Day. I then went to amazon to read what other people thought - am I the only one to do that AFTER reading a book or seeing a film that I've loved? - and was gobsmacked to see the one- and two-star reviews alongside the glowing ones. There's a lesson there about not pleasing all the people all the time but for now I will bask in that weirdly joyful yet bereft mood that always accompanies finishing a book you've loved.

(Thanks, Mary!)

Photo of the Day 2

2010-01-02T12:18:00.004Z

I was never what you'd call a runner, even as a child. In fact, all PE activities gave me the heebie-jeebies. I even used to beg my mum to write me sick notes and as she was a nurse, she'd add in various medical terms to justify my laziness. I don't think the teacher believed them...

But over the last year or so, I've become a bit of a convert to the old jogging. It's mainly thanks to Robert Ullrey's fabulous podcasts, which I've blogged about before. They take you from sitting on the couch to running 5K in nine weeks. It's not entirely effortless, but it is very motivating to listen to the tapes. I did it last year, but mainly in the gym. This time round, I'm running out of doors, as the weather is better here in Spain. It's MUCH harder than on a treadmill, but more satisfying.

So, this morning I reached the week 6, run 3 stage, which involved running for 25 minutes without stopping. This, I'm pretty sure, is the furthest I have ever run out of doors and I'm pretty chuffed. So I thought I'd photograph my battered Asics trainers, as I couldn't have done it without 'em.
PS: I know it's time for new ones. I have bought a lovely shiny pair but it's still muddy in the park so they'll have to wait for sunnier weather.

Happy New Decade/Photo of the Day 1

2010-01-02T11:21:00.005Z

Happy new decade, everyone! How are the tweenies* for you so far?

My decade's going well, thirty-six hours in. And I am also embarking on a new project for my blog, the Photo of the Day. One of my resolutions is to take more pictures, so this is a great way to get started. The idea came from something similar my top writer friend Jacqui Lofthouse did, and so I am going to try to record a distinctive moment every day. I'm a decidedly average snapper, but the idea is to try to capture something different about the day. I have been writing a diary for many years, but I find it harder and harder to put the work in, perhaps because I am doing so much other writing... so thinking visually might be more fun.

After a cracking New Year's Eve on the (rather chilly but gloriously empty) beach in Barcelona, I was spoiled for choice with terrific, if blurry, images of the night. This is the one I've chosen, taken at just after midnight on Bogatell beach. You can see the city in the background, and the figure in the white coat is our host for the night, just before he ran into the waves (various other people did say they would but the reality of biting winds and scarily powerful breakers meant they stayed shore-side, where the cava was...).

* Following extensive debate, I have unilaterally decided to call the first few years of this decade the 'tweenies.' You know. That difficult age, between the innocent pleasures of childhood, and the hormonal urges of puberty. From 2010 to 2012, we will be indulging in long weekend visits to buy everything pink and sparkly from Claire's Accessories, and our walls will be covered in pin-ups of safe, clean cut members of boy bands.

Crafty....

2009-12-23T14:29:00.004Z

I know, I know. If there's a dog-house for bad bloggers, I'm in it. I've thought about shutting down the blog, but I'm reluctant to give up on it completely... so for now, I suspect I'll stay a fairweather blogger!

I do, however, want to talk about craft. As we're in Spain for Christmas, I took delivery of some pressies early while I was in the UK. My haul included the unutterably gorgeous sewing basket above from Cath Kidston (before you get excited, she didn't give me the present personally, though I'm sure she'd be a super-smashing chum. My parents played Santa this time).

There was a time when getting excited about a sewing box would be a worrying sign, but I will have you know that crafts are now super-cool. I embarked on my crafting odyssey as research for Secret Shopper 3 (coming to a store near you in just over a year's time, if I can stop myself oohing and aahing over sewing boxes). And, before long, I was hooked (I am proud of myself for avoiding the obvious crochet/yarn joke there).

I mean, seriously, who could resist the glorious coloured cottons? Sorry, flosses. Or should that be floss? That's what proper embroiders call it. And as I now have a box full of floss, I must be approaching the status of a proper embroider, surely?

I have a particular penchant for the floss in the centre of this picture, the one with so many lovely ice-cream shades on a single length. I haven't yet found out the term for multi-coloured floss, but it's swirly and gorgeous and looks so pretty. Funny - I've never been particularly girly when it comes to shoes and jewellery and yet when I went to the haberdashery department at John Lewis the other day, I almost passed out with pleasure.

There are some truly wonderful craft blogs and sites out there - from the Make Lounge, where I did a crochet course with the wonderful Catherine Hirst, to the amazing Sublime Stitching site (check out the Black Apple patterns) and individual designers like Follow the White Bunny. Oh, and I could waste weeks on Feeling Stitchy.

I've been wondering why it's such a treat to do something crafty, even though it's a struggle at times. I've got a few theories - the fact that it takes approximately four thousand times as long to write a novel as it does to make an amigurumi mouse. Or the fact you can crochet a scarf while watching Spooks, but if you try to write chick lit while watching Spooks you will find yourself throwing in random explosions and killing off your heroine in chapter four.

Acutally, maybe you can't crochet while watching Spooks. During a particularly tense moment, I managed to turn the scarf above (aren't the colours lovely ?) round half way through a row and then added another wonky half row of crochet, so it all went wrong and I had to unpick about half of the length of the scarf, because I didn't notice the error until I'd done several hours more work.

What really surprised me as I unraveled the yarn, was how fab it felt to tug at the stitches and then have the chance to re-do it, but better. If you're a writer, I expect you'll see where I'm going with this - really, crochet has more in common with editing than I could ever have guessed. My wonky scarf was the first draft. If only I could learn to enjoy unpicking my words with quite so much relish, I would be a very happy novelist.

Sometimes writing seems so mystical, and the 'muse' seems utterly illusive. So I find the crochet comparison rather comforting. Yarn exists to be shaped - the more you work at your craft and try new things and above all, the more you practise, the better the end result will be.

So now I will picture my imagination as a piece of gorgeous, soft, malleable yarn. OK, sometimes it gets tangled and messy and knotted. And sometimes I have to go right back to the start. But if I keep working, I can make something rather nice with it.

Happy Christmas!

After the first million - and how I rewrote history

2009-11-18T10:10:00.003Z

I've blogged today over at the Romantic Novelists' Association Blog about the process of tweaking my first novel for republication...and what I've learned by writing a million or so words in six years...

Read the post here.

A couple of great writerly things...

2009-11-15T09:05:00.003Z

As my own blogs are rather few and far between now, here are two cool links:

This is an excellent programme about writing and getting published, The Write Lines, on Radio Oxford: hosted by author and broadcaster Sue Cook, with contributions from the very talented Marie Phillips, Elizabeth Chadwick, Caroline Smailes, Mark Billingham and others (I'm halfway through listening, so apologies if I've missed anyone) - but hurry, as it's only available for the rest of today, I think. But there are three more programmes coming up.

Secondly, this is a blog I wish I'd written, by fellow New Romantic Sarah Duncan - it's pithy and smart and insightful, just like Sarah herself.

On being a debutante again...

2009-11-12T19:46:00.008Z

It astonishes me that I’ve now been a published author for more than six years. How can time pass so darned fast? I’ve been looking back because this week my first novel, Old School Ties, is being republished (in a new, hopefully improved form).

On September 3 2003 Old School Ties Version 1.0 was launched upon the world to general indifference. Well, maybe not indifference, but I can’t pretend I turned out to be one of the hot new debuts of the year (despite my excitement at being picked for the WH Smith Fresh Talent selection, and my positive review in the Congleton Chronicle). I was anything but indifferent myself, of course, and my friends and family and publishers and agent and work colleagues (and the random strangers I told on the bus) were excited for me.

Like most debutantes, I was hoping to be the belle of the bookshop ball. I dreamed that writing might become a ‘career’ but the signs weren’t tremendously hopeful. I didn’t get a life-changing advance, I didn’t have Richard Curtis chasing me through the streets of Notting Hill to buy the film rights (he wouldn’t have had to chase me very far, I only lived in Shepherd’s Bush), and I had the kind of mortgage that made the idea of giving up the day job laughable. Seeing my name in print was a slightly bittersweet experience – utterly thrilling, but a little disappointing all the same when I didn’t hit the bestseller list. I guess the trouble with all writers is that we have vivid imaginations when it comes to picturing our likely overnight success...

But despite the lack of posters on the Underground, something fundamental changed for me that year. I know it’s the most awful cliché, but becoming an author was a dream come true. And how many dreams come true in a lifetime? I had been published – now I was going to do everything I could to STAY published.

Although I didn’t realise it at the time, in many ways I was lucky not to have had the headline grabbing book deal, because the less a publisher pays for a book, the lower their expectations! When debut authors are paid squillions up-front and then don’t sell many books, their failure is high profile. When a debut author who hasn’t been paid much and has had no celebrity kiss-n-tell tie-in or media profile, goes on to sell respectably, then they stay ‘promising.’

My quest to ‘go pro’ involved plenty of sleepless nights. The deadlines kept me awake, but so did the decisions about which book idea to write next, whether to change publisher, whether I would ever be able to regard writing as more than a fun hobby.

And then, three years ago, I became a full-timer. It’s still a tremendous thrill to me to earn my living this way. Of course, as with any job, there are brilliant days and less brilliant ones – in this recession, it’s nail-biting time whenever a book is published: authors are judged by their last set of sales figures. Finding out that one store hasn’t stocked your latest book can fuel all those writerly insecurities, even if another store has ordered twice as many as last time. Google Alerts seemed like a good idea when I set them up, and yet they have a nasty habit of bringing the most cutting reviews of my latest books to my inbox in the morning (and somehow those are so much harder to forget than the nice comments).

But I feel incredibly lucky, and grateful, to everyone who has taken a chance on my books – people in the publishing world, booksellers and, most important of all, readers.

I’m hoping to be around to celebrate my tenth ‘author birthday’ and my twentieth and thirtieth and the rest...but the truth is, being published is not something any author can take for granted. What I do believe is that anyone who writes, whether it’s that first short story, or the thirtieth bestseller, has to focus on ‘quality control’. That means writing the best book you can, whatever the genre or style, and then editing it until you’re sick of the sight of it. And then editing it several more times.

That's what I've done with Old School Ties - The Director's Cut. I went back to the book and made literally thousands of tiny changes. I'll be posting about that soon - but suffice it to say, it was possibly the toughest writing task I've ever undertaken. I just felt that having learned a bit more about editing and story-telling over the last few years, I owed it to the book, and potential readers, to apply those lessons. It's still the same story, and it's still a light comedy with a dark edge - but I hope it's now a better read.

Being a debutante was fun. But though I look back on my launch party with fond memories, I’m happy to be where I am now – with seven published novels, and another one in progress. In the frenzied world of 3 for 2s and e-book piracy and mid-list meltdown, story-telling still matters and it’s the only thing we writers have real control over. I’m doing nanowrimo (say hello to me, I’m Caffeinefuelledwriter) but, boy, that is just the beginning. Long after November is over, I will be rewriting and slashing and then tweaking and tearing my hair out and tweaking again.

Join me. You have nothing to lose but your adverbs.

Where did the time go? (en welkom op mijn Nederlandse lezers)

2009-10-29T17:25:00.009Z

Veronica, Jojo, Sue, Matt, Me at Guildford Festival

Bless me, dear blog-readers, for it's been six weeks since my last blog post. And I have probably sinned a lot. Though in truth it's hard to remember quite what I've been up to. I know that I had another book published (The Secret Shopper Unwrapped), ate and drank rather too much to celebrate its birth, went to the marvellous Mostly Books in Abingdon to talk vampires vs nice guys (a very lovely event indeed!), gave a workshop about writing romantic comedy with the wonderful Matt Dunn at the always fabulous Guildford Book Festival, followed by a talk with fellow New Romantics and dazzlingly glam writers Veronica Henry and Jojo Moyes (see picture above, with birthday girl Sue Locke in the centre ), caught up with some lovely friends, and a whole lot I have almost certainly forgotten...

The Secret Shopper's Revenge has also been published in Holland, which is a big deal for me, as I spent three years in the Netherlands as a child. I adore the cover (and her eyes are exactly the same colour as mine, weird!)... though I am confused about the title, Koopwoede. I think it means Shopping Spree, but I'm not 100 per cent certain, despite Google Translate: it's quite sad, actually, as further evidence of how poor my memory is, because I went to school in Holland and once spoke the language fluently.

Maybe it's time for me to learn it again, although as I am currently learning Spanish from scratch, that seems a high risk strategy. Anyway, if you're reading this from Holland (and particularly if you're near Rijswijk or Nieuwkoop, where we lived), then HALLO!

So, what next? Well, the 'director's cut' of Old School Ties is out in two weeks, and I'd love to know what you think. I will post soon about the process of rewriting my first book. I've also embarked on Secret Shopper 3 (haven't chosen a title yet), due for publication in early 2011 (oh, I do hope I don't jinx my progress by mentioning it...).

I will try to be back soon, but if you've read this blog a few times, you know what I am like... However, I'll be hosting the very, very talented Cally Taylor, author of Heaven Can Wait, on her extensive blog tour very soon, and if you're craving other stuff, try my Read Like a Writer Blog for a new post by another tremendous debut novelist, Jessica Ruston.

All that's left to say for now, then, is... tot ziens!

Autumnal greetings

2009-09-16T10:29:00.005+01:00

Doesn’t time fly? Well, it does here. After months of sunshine, it definitely feels like back to school here in Barcelona at the moment. The last two days have been dark and gloomy and stormy (I felt very at home) but phew, the sun’s out again today!

It’s only two weeks now until The Secret Shopper Unwrappedis published in the UK, with a gorgeous seasonal cover. This, my dears, is the right colour – the pinky/purply design on most websites hasn’t been updated, it looked pretty on the page but rather sickly once printed up, so this new sparkly version is what you’ll be seeing in the shops (actually, I haven’t seen a copy yet but I am assured it looks just right...nail-biting stuff).

You can read the first chapter here on my main website... I've had some terrific response to the first book, and my editor loves this sequel, but I am still nervous and hope people enjoy it as much. I’ll be telling you more about the book – and about the work I’ve been doing on Old School Ties, my first novel, which is being re-published in November – in the next few posts, but meanwhile, I wanted to bring you up to date on some events.

I’m going to be appearing with three more of The New Romantics at the Guildford Book Festival on October 22 . Here’s the info:

Out with the Old in with The New Romantics, October 22, Guildford Library

What’s love got to do with it? The rise and rise of the literary love story.
Bestselling novelists Matt Dunn, Kate Harrison, Veronica Henry and Jojo Moyes present an evening devoted to the portrayal of passion on the page. As founders of the New Romantics, a group of authors dedicated to fiction with a happy ending, the four writers share their favourite novels, discuss the art of the love scene, and debate why British readers buy love stories by the million, but feel ashamed to be seen reading one in public.

On the same day, Matt and I will be running a workshop:

Boy Meets Girl: Writing Romantic Comedy
Guildford Library, North Street • 2.30pm-4.30pm
Best-selling novelists Matt Dunn and Kate Harrison lead you through the essential ingredients of writing love stories with a comic element - and then explore how to find an original angle to make your book stand out in this hugely popular, but very competitive genre. They’ll discuss titles, twists and the art of the satisfying ending.

I’m also going to be at a terrific Halloween themed event at Mostly Books in Abingdon on October 20 – when we’re asking whether Twilight has got its fangs into chick lit and killed it off. I’ll be talking there with author Victoria Connelly and discussing how to get published, how we write, and our novels generally.

Finally, if you missed out on the women’s fiction course I ran with the lovely Louise Voss earlier this summer, there’s an advanced course lined up for next March. I’ll be posting more soon, but here’s the basic information:

From Marian Keyes to Jodi Picoult and Lisa Jewell, women’s fiction is wide-ranging and vibrant – and publishers are always looking for new voices to entertain, amuse and move readers. This course offers workshops+feedback on the essentials of writing for this genre. Building on Head over Heels 2009, Kate Harrison, (seven successful novels in the genre), covers generating original ideas, developing compelling characters, key elements of structure and story-telling, and approaching publishers/agents with your work.
15th, 16th, 17th, 18th March 2010, 6pm – 9pm

So, plenty to keep me busy there, eh? Happy Autumn! May your leaves stay golden brown and never curl up!

Butterfly mind... (and Day 28 of the rather unsuccessful writing challege)

2009-08-19T12:00:00.004+01:00

OK, maybe butterfly mind is too flattering a description. Maybe a more accurate one would be: concentration span somewhere between that of a gnat and a goldfish.

That's not to say I haven't been working on the YA idea. I have. I've passed 20,000 words now, but more importantly, I've fleshed out how it could work over more than one book. But with no deadline beyond my self-imposed one, my gnatfish brain has been looking for other sources of stimulation (it always happens at 20,000 words). And I have found it in the form of a NEW blog:

http://readlikeawriter.blogspot.com

where I am reviewing books, well, from the point of view of a writer: what I have learned about style, structure and storytelling (and other things not beginning with S) from reading the best-sellers.

I'd love to see you over there: there are already reviews for The Return, What a Carve Up! AND How NOT to Write a Novel. I am also welcoming guest posts so if you've learned a lot from a novel or non-fiction book, leave a comment and I will send you the info about contributing.

I suppose I ought to get round to doing some paid for writing at some point soon, eh?

Day um...is it 13 of the crazy writing challenge?

2009-08-04T13:21:00.002+01:00

I know, I know, I went quiet again. I had proofs to go through on The Secret Shopper Unwrapped which took longer than expected, and then copy edits on my rewrites of my first novel, Old School Ties.

I've just finished both which is a huge relief and that means I can devote the rest of August to my Experiment (well, and to sunbathing and getting my fat writer's bum to the gym). Clearly I was a bit deranged believing that I could write an entire novel in two weeks, but hey, a girl's gotta be ambitious...

Day 2 of Kate's crazy novel challenge - and a question about speed-writing

2009-07-22T16:11:00.003+01:00

OK, so far I'm at 6,016 words and still enjoying it. The test will come at 10K which is where the whole 'oh, this really is becoming harder work' moment usually hits.

In the comments section, Captain Black said: I can't speak from experience, never having tried NaNoWriMo, but from what I've seen so far, I don't think I'm a believer. I'm sure it's great writing exercise but other than that I don't see how anything that's essentially rushed is likely to be good enough to publish. I speak for myself, of course, as I have little natural talent and have to work very hard at my writing.I draw a parallel between this sort of thing and speed rock climbing. Getting to the top is the challenge but doing it faster at the risk of safety seems pointless.Is there some other external driving force behind your speed-writing challenge, or is it just for fun? In any case, I wish you good luck with it.

I found this a very interesting post, and I wondered what others thought? I know that for me, though I do enjoy the writing, it's the ideas that motivate me, the chance to explore and grow something from a tiny 'what if' moment. So I want to maximise the burst of enthusiasm that goes with beginning a new project...

In terms of 'publishability', I do edit a great deal after a fast first draft, but I am not sure that I edit significantly more than I would after a slow first draft. I've never tried to write a novel - even a short one, more of a novella, I guess - in a fortnight before and I admit it is bonkers, but in answer to the Captain's question about whether there's an external driving force, well, yes, there are severak:

1. I've had this idea for ages, it's quite high concept, I want to do it in case someone else thinks of it.

2. I am trying several new things for me with this project - I am usually a serious planner, but this time I am writing in very short chapters and seeing where the story takes me. It's very much an experiment to see whether that method might work or whether it will tie me in knots. Likewise, writing YA fiction is new, but I believe this idea absolutely fits that age group, and I'd like to see whether I have it in me to carry it off. Finally, the story itself is very different in tone: it does not have the 'happy-ish ever after or at least for now' ending that most of my adult fiction has.

3. For the reasons in 2. above, I want to get as far as I can as fast as I can, to see whether it's working. Basically, I have an income from my adult books that I wouldn't want to jeopardise by focusing on something speculative for too long... I have, in a slightly 'management training' David Brent-esque way, a whiteboard with my year's projects on it. My novels under contract are A category, i.e. the priority, and then I give myself a B category to run alongside the A stuff - B projects have the potential either to challenge me, or bring income, or both, and they're to be done when I'm waiting for edits to be returned, or if I am not too exhausted by meeting the day's word count for the current A project. So this is a B... (I also have a C stream, and that's for any mulling time OR for when I am very cheesed off with both A & B projects). C stream projects don't tend to progress very fast...

4. And the time limit is because in two weeks I have a set of proofs and a set of copy edits for two separate books coming home to roost, and they are top priority, as they're for books out in October and November. So if I can get Project B well underway by then, all the better.

How do YOU juggle different projects? Or am I alone in wanting to write lots of different things at the same time?

A challenge to myself

2009-07-21T15:29:00.002+01:00

Can I write a novel in two weeks?

Not a full length novel, I hasten to add, but an idea that has been bubbling away somewhere in the recesses of my brain for a year or more. It's more of a dark YA idea, very different to what I usually write, and it would probably end up at around 50,000 words, a NaNoWriMo kind of novel. To be honest, I probably need to get it out of my system, whether it ever has a hope of publication or not.

But two weeks?

Today I started it and managed 3646 words, in wonderfully short, snappy chapters. My calculator tells me that if I write that many words for 14 days, then I will get to 51,000 words.

Hmmm. I might run a sweepstake with myself.

Broadbanded in Barcelona

2009-07-19T12:52:00.002+01:00

OK. You may have noticed I've been gone for a while. But now I am back online, wirelessed up and ready to go.

Where to begin? Well, we’re living in Barcelona! I don’t know how long for, exactly, so it’s not exactly emigration (can you emigrate if it’s only two hours’ flight away?) but it is very exciting indeed.

Things went like this: boyfriend’s job ceased to exist due to recession. He’s never been to uni, or had a gap year, fancied trying something different, and I am very lucky that I can work from anywhere. We had been to Barcelona several times, loved it, know people out here, liked the idea of sunshine and tapas and a break from gloomy headlines…

And here we are. In the last six weeks, we’ve had our challenges, including facing imminent homelessness due to extreme trickiness of finding a good place for us and the teenaged cat (yes, we couldn’t bear to leave her in the UK). Said cat has also suffered catastrophic allergy to Frontline, needing treatment by possibly the best-looking vet/vet nurse duo in the world. Honestly, if I was a Mills & Boon writer, I would have had my next story there now. After enduring an Iberia flight sitting in a basket on my lap (actually the flight was fine, though being pounced on at Heathrow security in case she was a bomb cat was alarming), and living in a pet-friendly hotel, we hoped she would settle. Alas, no. Frontline made all her neck hair fall out and she is now locked into a self-harming cycle of ‘skin heals/skin itches/cat must scratch with back legs’ that would probably justify a series of misery memoirs if she was human. But she’s still here and seems to be enjoying herself otherwise.

We have both embarked on Spanish courses (me and boyf, not me and cat) and though it’s humiliating being trumped by fifteen-year-olds with better recall, we’re getting there slowly. I love languages, but it’s much harder now than it was when I was at school. Also tricky as the main language of Barcelona isn’t Castilian, but Catalan, a kind of wild combo of French, Spanish and other fab words with lots of Xs in them.

Oh, and the admin is a challenge, but a good challenge – the other day I had to return a parcel to amazon (don’t get me started, but I will never buy an Acer computer again, as it failed within 20 hours of receipt) and the Post Office conversation was worthy of Basil Fawlty. Then again, the sense of achievement at getting my Foreigner’s Number was very significant indeed.

We have also (so far) survived the ordeal by Possessed Washing Machine (think Stephen King). Said washer seems desperate to escape, so last weekend it walked across the terrace, and in its bid for freedom, flooded everywhere, fell flat on its face and almost electrocuted boyf. It never walks when we’re watching, of course, so we now take a glass of vino tinto in there for the whole cycle, just in case…surprisingly relaxing. The Zen of Laundry.

We now have a lovely temporary apartment in el Born, the most gorgeous part of the city (in my opinion), right opposite a market built in 1876, which is absolutely inspirational.

In other news:

I didn’t win the Melissa Nathan award, but I had a fab time as a short-listee and got the most gorgeous runner-up trophy.
We’re currently planning the next New Romantics event, a panel plus a short course at the Guildford Festival, and I will post details when it's all confirmed.
The New Romantics are also now on Twitter!
Secret Shopper Unwrapped is all done and dusted, and due out on October 1, which is also Super Thursday. Apparently that’s the day all the books by the Big Guns of fiction come out too, so I do hope it doesn’t get trampled in the rush, as it’s apparently quite good, according to my editor and agent!
I’m also considering running writing weekends out here in Barcelona, as the place is so inspirational and flights so incredibly reasonable – if it’s something you might fancy, then do please leave a comment, it’d be good to know what level of interest there might be…
I’m also going to be teaching a sequel to the Head over Heels course at Kingston University in March 2010, with all new material and lots of time for workshopping and feedback. More info soon.

Anyway, that’s me for now. I will be posting much more often, because we have broadband again, hoorah! Coming soon: the challenge of rewriting my first novel for re-publication (Old School Ties, the Director’s Cut), plus other tales from the city of tapas and tasty vets.

Hasta pronto!

Kate x

All sorts

2009-04-30T08:27:00.003+01:00

Back from Vietnam, with a souvenir I hadn't anticipated - the most ginormous black eye! Managed to get mugged on our last night there, and visitors to tonight's New Romantics launch will get a close-up, but I am quite proud of the many colours, so thought I'd share it with you...I'd asked my New Romantic colleagues to wear something pink or red to the event, and Jojo Moyes said I had taken it a bit TOO far...

Actually, the trip was brilliant - fascinating, inspiring, moving - especially the places connected to the recent conflicts. It's given me lots and lots of ideas for books, so watch this space.

In other news, the New Romantics launch tonight is now sold out, so please don't come along unless you have a ticket -it's going to be great fun, I think!

And if you're thinking of enrolling for the women's fiction course I am running with Louise Voss from May 18 to 21, then do sign up very soon as there are only two places left - see here for more information.

Right, off to experiment with cover-up make-up for tonight!

Chuffed to little mintballs...

2009-04-08T17:11:00.004+01:00

What a lovely day! Thrilled to receive a phone call from my editor this morning to say The Secret Shopper's Revenge has been short-listed for the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance.

Melissa was a very talented author of five novels combining love and laughter, including The Nanny and The Waitress. She died in 2006 of breast cancer, aged only thirty-seven, and one of her wishes was for an award to be set up for books which celebrate humour and love. I am so honoured to be on the list, especially as the other novels sound terrific. The winner of the award in 2007, its first year, was Marian Keyes and last year it was Lisa Jewell - both authors whose novels I love - so I am sure you can understand why I'm so excited to be nominated.

The details of the short-listed books are below, but there's lots more to read on the award website, including the work of the Melissa Nathan Foundation.

The six short-listed books and authors are:

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello. Pocket Books
Recipe For Disaster by Miriam Morrison. Arrow
A Winter's Tale by Trisha Ashley. Avon
The Marriage Bureau For Rich People by Farahad Zama. Abacus
The Importance Of Being Emma by Juliet Archer. ChocLit
The Secret Shopper's Revenge by Kate Harrison. Orion

Want to write women's fiction? Come on our intensive evening course.

2009-04-04T08:44:00.008+01:00

I know a lot of blog readers are writing their own novels - it's one of the reasons why Sue Mongredien and I were so pleased that the Novel Racers took off and became such a terrific community - and now I'm teaming up with Louise Voss, author of To Be Someone and three other terrific novels, to teach a course on commercial women's fiction from May 18 to 21 2009 in London.

It's slightly unusual in structure in that we're holding it over four consecutive evenings, rather like a summer school. But because it's in the evening it's also suitable if you work within commuting distance of Kingston-on-Thames, around 30 minutes from Waterloo.

Here's the lowdown, but if you've any more questions, do post in the comments and I'll do my best to answer! If you do want to book, there's a discount for signing up before A[ril 17.

From light social comedy, to grittier relationship tales, women’s fiction titles sell in vast numbers and there’s a lot more to the genre than twentysomething chick lit. The vast majority of fiction buyers are women, and publishers are always looking for new voices to entertain, amuse and move readers. This is an intensive course, designed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to tackle this incredibly popular – and wide-ranging – genre.

Tutors Kate Harrison and Louise Voss are both best-selling authors with a passion for this area of fiction, and have published ten novels between them. These practical workshops explore the whole process, and are suitable for both new writers, and more experienced ones. The course will cover generating ideas, creating sympathetic yet complex characters, and approaches to story-telling. There’ll also be sessions on approaching agents and publishers, trends in this area of fiction, and an overview of the current publishing scene. As well as group workshops, there’ll be the opportunity for individual advice and feedback from our tutors and the opportunity to send a short excerpt from your current project for the tutors to read before the course starts.

The course runs over four consecutive nights, from 6pm-9pm, at Kingston University (30 minutes from Waterloo).

Cost: Full: £180 (£160 if booked before 17th April)

For booking and more info, call 020 8417 7790, email: fassshortcourse-info@kingston.ac.uk or click here for more.

Win free love for a year - competition closing date extended!

2009-04-04T08:43:00.003+01:00

We've extended the closing date on our fabulous launch competition for the launch of the New Romantics until May 8 2009 so that guests at our free launch event (see the previous post to find out how to reserve your ticket) can also enter.

See our website for more information - describe your most romantic moment in 100 words, and you could win Free Love (in the form of great novels posted to your door) for a whole year.

Love,

Kate x

Free literary event on April 30 by the Thames!

2009-04-04T08:23:00.005+01:00

Oh, I have lots of news to report now I've emerged from my writing marathon...

You might remember that I've joined forces with six other fabulous writers (Lucy Diamond, Sarah Duncan, Matt Dunn, Veronica Henry, Milly Johnson and Jojo Moyes) to launch The New Romantics, campaigning for the best in modern romantic fiction.

Well, we're having a launch party event on 30 April 2009 in Richmond-upon-Thames and we'd love you to be there. It kicks off at 7pm and there'll be readings and stories from me, Lucy (also known by her real name, Sue Mongredien, the author of many fabulous children's books), Jojo and Veronica. There'll be free pink-themed refreshments, books to sign and lots of laughs along the way.

You can order a ticket online here (scroll down) and, best of all in these credit-crunched times, it's free!

Richmond is on the District Line or lots of rail routes, and the fabulous venue is very close to the Thames, about five minutes' walk from the station. Have a peep around all the lovely shops and pubs with Street View (the venue is down the side of the street past the clothes shop, and the huge green tree you can see ahead is on the river!) - it looks even better on a sunny evening.

Do come along, we'd love to see you!

The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

2009-04-03T19:01:00.006+01:00

So, it's done. For now. The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, the sequel to The Secret Shopper's Revenge, has been sent off to lovely editor and lovely agent this very evening.

It's the fastest book I've written - mainly because it had to be, as it has a wintry/Christmassy theme and therefore if it misses its publication slot in October, then we have to wait an entire year before we can try again! As a former TV journalist, I'm used to deadlines, but this one has been rather overwhelming!

So here are the vital stats:

Date started 1st draft: 6 January 2009 (though I had been thinking about it, oh, for an entire month before that)
Date finished 1st draft: 17 March 2009
Word count on 17 March: 95,740
Date started my own, self-editing 2ND draft (i.e. before showing it anyone): 19 March
Date finished own, self-edited 2ND draft: 3 April
Word count on 3 April: 105,789

Now I'm sure there used to be a way of finding out how many hours you'd spent on a MS via Properties on Word, but it's currently saying 28 minutes, which would be a record, even for a speedy writer like me. In truth, I've been staring at the computer screen for an average of eight hours a day, five or six days a week, throughout this whole process, probably more.

If that sounds like I haven't had much of a life, you're probably right. An external life, that is. In my imagination, I've been to Christmas grottoes, gangland pubs, luxury hotels, plastic surgery clinics, fun pubs and country villages. I've eaten pomegranates and figgy pudding and turkey (and I speak as a vegetarian of twenty odd years), I've drunk Cristal and egg nog and mint tea. I've had sex with three different heroes (actually, make that four), with varying degrees of ecstasy.
Who needs real life?

I've used Spotify as my new best tool, creating a Secret Shopping play list (which I will work out how to link to, soon) featuring a disproportionate number of Christmas songs. I've also resorted to the truly evil setting on Dr Wicked. I've watched programmes on shop lifting and expat life. And I've enjoyed it, most of the time...

But now the evenings are light, the weather's warm and it's time to emerge into the fresh air. For at least, oooh, a week, before I get the notes back from the Very Important People, and have to start on that third draft.

Wish me luck please!

Blog tour: Fiona Robyn, author of The Letters

2009-03-05T17:16:00.006Z

I am still up to my neck in the current novel (latest word count: 68,000. Which I know is respectable, given that I only began the book this year, but is still some way from the end. Hmmm). Not drowning, but not exactly waving either...

So I'm asking someone else to do the talking, and hosting a stop on Fiona Robyn's blog tour... she's celebrating the publication of her first novel, which has had terrific response from people lucky enough to receive advance copies! (Oh, and I want her hair...)

Fiona Robyn is a novelist living in rural Hampshire with her partner, two cats and vegetable patch. Her debut novel The Letters is published by Snowbooks, and follows divorcee Violet as she starts receiving a series of mysterious letters, written in 1959 from a mother and baby home.

Why do you write?
I write to help me pay attention. And because I want to appear on Richard and Judy. (joke)

Where did the idea come from for The Letters?
My novels start with my main characters, so Violet 'appeared in my head' and the story unfolded from her. She is a prickly character, but I am very fond of her.

Planner – or pantser? Do you write a detailed outline for your novels, or do you have a vague idea where you’re going and then fly by the seat of your pants?
Oh, definitely pantser! I wish I was a planner - it sounds much less scary. Sometimes things happen in my novels that surprise me!

Tell us about your writing methods – times, rituals, moments of procrastination… LOTS of procrastination, especially during the first draft - amazing how many other things I suddenly find around the house that urgently need doing. I light a tea-light before I start writing and blow it out when I'm finished. I like to write first thing in the morning before I get distracted by anything else (Facebook!) and I use my lovely blue laptop. I wish there were more helpful tips I could pass on but I think you just have to sit down and get on with it.

Where do you write? Do you have a room of your own?
I write in my tiny office in our little thatched cottage which we borrow from the Duke of Wellington (for a fee). I can touch both walls when I put out my arms. I'm an extreme minimalist so it suits me just fine - pretty much me, my laptop and my cat Fatty (who likes to lie on the rug behind me and keep me company).

Kate says: I can't see a cat in this picture!

You have a range of blogs and creative outlets on the web – how do you juggle them all and how important is it to have different ways of expressing yourself?
Yes - three blogs is a bit excessive! But 'a handful of stones' doesn't really count as other people write that one - I just choose the pieces. 'a small stone' is where I write something creative every day - it's usually very short so doesn't take long. I suppose you could say it's a way of honouring my muse. And Planting Words is where I get to write whatever I want - what my Nana thought of the rude bits in my books, how much I love making soup - it's fun to write these pieces. If I'm in the middle of writing a novel, I try not to touch my blogs until I've finished my 'proper writing' for the day!

What’s coming after The Letters?
Snowbooks will be releasing The Blue Handbag - where Leonard, a gardener, becomes a reluctant detective - in August, and then Thaw - where Ruth gives herself three months to decide whether or not her life is worth living. I am working on a fourth novel but I haven't touched it for a while - doing interviews is much more fun!

Thanks to Fiona - I have her gorgeous looking book on my TBR pile but I am not reading fiction at the moment - saving it as a treat for when I finish!

Become a New Romantic - and win a year's worth of Free Love...

2009-02-14T15:06:00.010Z

You know I mentioned the Top Secret Project in the last blog? Well, all is revealed...

Working with six other brilliant authors, we've created the New Romantics, a group dedicated to promoting commercial novels that deal with relationships and love...

And we have the most terrific prize on offer - an entire year of free love...of the literary kind. Valentine's Day is over for another year, but scoot over to the New Romantics website and you could win a book a month for the next twelve months. You can also read about my fellow New Romantics, and find extra material about what we do and why we do it!

The idea of working with other writers in my genre to promote our work - and the genre itself - came more than a year ago, and I thought of our name while I was at the conference of the Romantic Novelists' Association itself. The RNA is a terrific organisation, with many talented authors, but the members encompass a huge range of different genres, from historical fiction to medical romance.

I wanted to work together with a smaller number of writers I know and admire for their different takes on the genre I write in - known variously as commercial women's fiction, contemporary fiction, chick lit and...um, well, many less complimentary names. Crime writers in the UK have already done something very similar with the Murder Squad, a group of friends and authors who offer events and talks to libraries and festivals, and I felt there was a brilliant opportunity to do something similar in the women's fiction genre.

Anyway, there's a little more information below - but the best way to find out more is to head over to the site itself. I'd love to know what you think.

The New Romantics – www.thenewromantics.org – brings together seven British authors of novels that deal with love in all its forms. Lucy Diamond, Sarah Duncan, Matt Dunn, Kate Harrison, Veronica Henry, Milly Johnson and Jojo Moyes write in a wide range of topics and styles, from laugh-out-loud romantic comedy to intense love stories and relationship tales from the male point-of-view.

They’ve launched the New Romantics to champion the cause of commercial fiction with a heart –a perfect antidote to the credit crunch. They’ll be promoting their genre through events, reading group campaigns and online promotions.

For your own happy-ever-after, and the chance to win a year of Free Love, check out the website www.thenewromantics.org. The group’s first public event is a debate, What’s Love Got to Do with It? at the very romantic venue of the Old Town Hall in Richmond-upon-Thames Old Town Hall on 30^th April at 7pm. More details will be available soon on the website.

The group is the idea of author Kate Harrison. ‘The market for romantic fiction is worth £118m a year, and growing, yet there’s a stereotypical view of readers and authors in the genre as old-fashioned or deluded. We think we’re typical of the audience – we’re intelligent professional people with satisfying lives who happen to like happy endings.’

Between them, the New Romantics have published thirty novels, in seventeen countries (including Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Malaysia, Portugal, Russia, and Spain) and sold well over 1.5 million copies of their books.

Based around the UK (with one currently living in Spain), they take different approaches to exploring love and relationships in their fiction, but they share a passion for reading, writing, talking about books, and for their genre. Their books have won or been shortlisted for awards including the Romantic Novelists' Association Novel of the Year, the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance, and the Good Housekeeping Book Award.

Author and screen-writer Veronica Henry argues that romantic fiction can be a credit-crunch proof treat: ‘There is nothing more indulgent than a brilliantly written, page-turning romantic read. Prepare to curl up in front of the fire, loll in a hammock or slide into a scented bath with one [or all!] of the New Romantics.’

Founder member Milly Johnson is urging cynics to get in touch with their romantic side. ‘Our novels bring hope that your own personal hero is somewhere out there in real life just waiting to find you too. They are the ultimate escape and stuff of secret fantasies even for the most capable of modern women.’

And Lucy Diamond, who recently moved into writing for the genre after enjoying huge success with her children’s books, says ‘When real life feels too stressful, I love to lose myself in the perils and angst of a romantic heroine, breathing a great, contented sigh of satisfaction when she gets her happy-ever-after."

More excuses...

2009-02-14T14:53:00.006Z

OK, so the usual excuses follow: I was teaching a terrific group of very talented sixth-formers in deepest, snowiest Derbyshire, I was dealing with impending life change, I was celebrating a birthday, I was appearing in the Mail on Sunday's YOU magazine (see here: though after the birthday and snow, I am weighing a little more than I do in that picture).

I also played a small role in rescuing an absolutely adorable cat. How could anyone abandon this terrific boy? He was so affectionate and also starving hungry when we encountered him, having been hanging round in middle of nowhere, trying to find shelter from the freezing weather.

He'd obviously once been a house cat - I have no idea how anyone could abandon their pet, it makes me very angry. Was so tempted to take him home with us, but the Cat in Residence would not have been pleased, having had life her own sweet way for fourteen years...

Then there's writing the book. And I've also been very busy with a Top Secret Project. Which won't be very top secret once I post my next blog post. Would love to know what you think of the project (and the cat!).

The dog ate my homework and other excuses...

2009-01-21T20:41:00.003Z

Bad blogger or what? The reasons are many and varied:

I’m trying to write 100,000 words by April and somehow blogging doesn’t seem as tempting by the time I’ve got to the end of my daily quota.
I am also trying to write a play, and a story for young adults. Neither earning me any money but it’s good to stretch the brain.
When I’m not writing, I’m trying to learn to play the piano, from scratch. It hurts my head.
When I’m not writing or tinkling those ivories, I am at the gym. Amazing but true. I love it!
When I’m not writing, gymming or trying to play the piano, I am playing Star Worse on the Wii.
The credit crunch. God, it’s depressing. As a fully signed-up Marvin the Paranoid Android, I believe we’re likely to be a bankrupt nation by the end of the week. Worst thing is, so do experts. That’s not good.*
The credit crunch has, very recently, hit very close to home. Not going into details, but it makes the future seem even more uncertain. That might be uncertain in a good, life-changing for the best way, but it’s still change. I am like my cat. Not good with change. OK, I don’t scratch the carpet or wee in briefcases, but if I could get away with it, I might see if it helps.

Thank you to all the fab people who have bought The Secret Shopper's Revenge – it’s been doing so well, and I am thrilled. It’s due in Tesco this week, and also seems to be at a very low price on amazon so if you haven’t bought it yet, you can still find it out there.

In fact, there is some breaking news. The response to Secret Shopper 1 has been so great that I'm writing Secret Shopper 2. The working title is The Secret Shoppers Unwrapped and it's due to be published in the Autumn. Which is yet another reason I might be a bit absent from the blogosphere for a wee while.

See you soon,

Kate xx

*NB: the only man who can save us happens to be my local MP, the marvellous Vince Cable. I love him so much I even stayed at The Vincent Hotel in Southport this weekend, in his honour. Boyf used to see him commuting to Westminster on the train. A) the man went standard class and b) he was on the early train. Nuff said. I wish he was in charge of everything…you know, if there was any justice in the world, the man had been picked for Strictly Come Dancing, I think there'd have been a coup by now (a very civilised one, no blood shed or anything) and things would look very different.

Not so bleak midwinter

2008-12-22T08:13:00.003Z

I don't have any proper news - too busy writing and wrapping and, um, mastering Mario Kart (early Christmas present!), but just wanted to post this photograph I took during a carol-singing session at Trafalgar Square last week - what we lacked in tunefulness, we made up for in enthusiasm!

And surely at this time, more than any other, it's the thought that counts.

Have a peaceful, happy time, blog friends. Try to forget financial meltdowns etc, and focus on what counts - and see you in the New Year.

Kate xxx

Shelf Life

2008-12-10T11:24:00.002Z

So, the book’s out there, and I’ve seen it looking very sparkly in Smiths, Sainsbury’s, Woolworths but not yet in Asda (though I have had many reported sightings). There’s a retail saying that applies to books and their shelf life – ‘longer than milk, shorter than yogurt’. That might surprise you as much as it did me when I first heard it, but it is true – unless a novel begins to sell very quickly in the first few days (and of course, technology makes it possible for stores to see at a glance how many ‘units’ have been sold), the chances are that it will be removed from the shelves without ceremony, to make way for the next book…which is a very scary thought for an author. The retail world, as we all know, is a chilly and potentially inhospitable place at the moment, and sending your book out there feels like sending your baby off to the workhouse to earn its keep.

The good news for me is that so far The Secret Shopper's Revenge is earning its keep – it's in the fiction bestseller chart today - so sincere thanks for anyone who has bought it, and for all the lovely messages. I’m cracking on with the next book, so going quiet again, but I really am so grateful that people are being kind to my 'baby.'

Oh, and if you want to know more about the background to the book, there's an interview with me by the brilliant Danuta Kean on the Orion website,
Kate x

Glittery book in a store near you….

2008-11-25T09:25:00.004Z

Woohoo, The Secret Shopper's Revenge is out in paperback this week! And very satisfyingly chunky it is too. It is also the first book I’ve had published that features glittery bits on the cover. Obviously other books have glittery stuff, but mine is extra glittery. Go on. Stroke the screen. Use your imagination. It feels a little bit rough, doesn't it, like festive sandpaper?

The cover also features cute charms below the title – those were my idea!

I’m always excited and nervous when a novel comes out, and this time is no exception. Especially as the book is the Asda Book Club book of the month for December, which means it should be in all their stores AND if you buy it in Asda, you get an extra section at the back with special material from my three secret shoppers – a guide to luxury on a budget from Grazia, advice from Lucy on how NOT to be treated like dirt by shop assistants, and a shopper’s guide to spotting the best stores by Sandie. And all for the same cover price… I believe it’s also in the WH Smith’s travel stores as their book of the week, too (not sure WHICH week) so if you see one in a station or airport let me know. Or if you see one at all, I'd love to hear how it looks. I can never quite believe it's on sale until I have confirmed independent sightings...

The novel begins just a few days before Christmas, with my poor underdog heroine Emily (not Lucy, as I wrote before - doh! I get my characters confused!) realising that her dreams of a perfect celebration in London aren’t going to plan – read the first chapter here – and as the book even looks a bit like a parcel, it makes a great present...!

Right, end of hard sell. Back to reality.

In other news, have hit a bit of a block with the new novel. I’m at the 25,000 words stage of an extremely rough draft and am now wondering what to throw at my characters next. I also have a cold and have just hit my head on the door above the washing machine, so I don’t think I’ll be finishing the Nanowrimo challenge unless I can write 25,000 more words in five days. This would be technically possible but utterly insane.

Ah well, knew it was too good to last.

Getting the words down...thanks to Dr Wicked!

2008-11-17T15:27:00.002Z

	1265

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lab.drwicked.com

First of all, many thanks for the lovely comments on my Rainbows post - much appreciated.

So life's settling back into a kind of normality after my various trips. I'm getting on with building up the word count. This year because the timing of starting the new novel coincides with Nanowrimo, I'm joining in and my word count, as of ten minutes ago, is 21,964. Since the beginning of November.

Eeek.

Now I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I'm not really a ruthless hackette who will throw out a novel in two months and then send it off to print, untouched. This time round I think I'm going to have to work hard at getting the tone right with the main character so I suspect there will be more editing than ever before. So it seemed logical for me to get on with it, discover by writing, and then overhaul it completely.

Don't know if I will carry on to the 50,000 target that Nanowrimo sets, because in a way it's slightly irrelevant - my novels tend to be around the 110,000-120,000 mark so I can't exactly pretend to myself that I could possibly be finished by the end of the month. On the other hand, 50K is a nice round number!

My best tool so far is here. Three cheers and then some for Dr Wicked. I love this gizmo, it has worked wonders. I was telling a friend the other day and she was hysterical at the idea that I had to use tricks like this to force myself to write, even though a) I love writing and b) I dreamed for so long about doing this full-time. I am an excellent procrastinator, as I have said before, and sometimes we all need props to get us going. Better this than gin at elevenses, eh?

By the way, anyone intrigued by the Arvon Foundation after my account of my retreat week, there's a programme about the origins of the charity on Radio 4 tomorrow morning, presented coincidentally by one of my favourite writers, Mavis Cheek. I expect it'll be available on Listen Again for a week afterwards if you can't catch it tomorrow.

Rainbows

2008-11-10T22:40:00.005Z

It’s been an up-and-down couple of weeks. First, the boyf and I went to Barcelona for five fab days. I remember going there when Inter-Railing in the early nineties and the place scared me half to death…

Now it’s thrilling for different reasons – a truly vibrant, cosmopolitan city. I’m glad I don’t write guidebooks as it would be seriously tough to find new ways of describing the place, but suffice it to say, if you’ve been there, you’ll know and if you haven’t been, you should. As soon as humanly possible.

I didn’t do much writing but I took loads of photographs and notes, and the city might well turn up in my fiction before too long…we also caught up with friends who’ve moved there and had a severe dose of lifestyle envy.

The down was that while I was away, my aunt died. She had been ill for many years but was still only in her sixties and I think it’s always a shock when someone important dies. My best memories of her are from when I was a little girl and visited her house which had – luxury of luxuries – a piano! My aunt and uncle were both extremely musical and made their living playing and teaching the piano and violin. I used to buy sheet music of my favourite West End shows (I was a bit of an actress wannabe, but my ambition was thwarted as I was a useless dancer) and ask her to play my favourites while I sang along. Evita and Annie were particular favourites – the poor woman (and neighbours) must have been well and truly fed up with The sun’ll come out tomorrow and Don’t cry for me Argentina by the time I left each time.

She also introduced me to the delights of curry (and those yummy little pre-made orange sorbets in the shell you can still find in more old fashioned Indian restaurants). Music and masala. That’s what I call a positive influence.

Again, I'm slightly at a loss to describe how I feel about it all (call yourself a writer, Harrison?). The funeral is this week and I am hopeless at funerals – the opening to Brown Owl's Guide to Life is semi-autobiographical – so I probably won’t post about it again.

Straight after Barcelona, with memories of my aunt uppermost in my mind, I went to The Hurst, the Arvon Foundation Centre in Shropshire, which was home to playwright John Osborne. Although I used to work in the Midlands region for the BBC, I had never had much time to admire Shropshire at leisure and the countryside was mind-bogglingly gorgeous. It wasn't a taught course - I've done two previously, both outstanding and recommended for all writers - but a retreat, where we were at leisure to work on our own during the day, then come together for dinner in the evenings. I spent the week chatting and sharing experiences with other writers, getting started on my next book (the whiteboard came with me in the car) and going for a few lovely walks.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a spiritual person – as with most other things in my life, I find it hard to make a decision about where I stand on creation – but the landscape around there really did make me appreciate the spell-binding beauty of life. During my Friday walk, I kept seeing rainbows everywhere, including several that melted into the trees. The photo doesn’t quite capture it, but it was gorgeous.

Downside was being unable to watch the TV after the Obama victory but oddly listening to the radio made it seem more special, like being in a WW2 drama, relying on the wireless to bring the news we’re all hoping for…the speeches made by both the winning and the losing candidates moved me deeply. I hope...well, I guess we're all hoping the same, are we?

Oh, and I had lots of lovely food. And got 11,000 words in the bag. That’s the wonder of no broadband.

Here’s to rainbows, and dreams, and curries, and music, and my aunt, and making the most of what we have…

New Favourite Thing: Blank Canvas

2008-10-26T09:24:00.003Z

I am a great fan of gadgets. Kitchen gadgets (lemon tap, anyone?), techie gadgets, laptops…I am far more often seized by the desire for a widget than for a pair of shoes or a handbag.

But my latest is more low-tech. It’s a magnetic whiteboard…

I must point out this is NOT me. But she looks very excited by her whiteboard, and I know how she feels.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long. In my last ‘proper job’ (if you can call making up ideas for TV shows that will probably never be made a ‘proper job’), I used a whiteboard on a daily basis. The one at the BBC was swankier – the size of a single bed, with a conveyor belt type arrangement that gave you two full surfaces and a print-out of your work at the touch of a button. That used to induce ‘wows’ from hardened TV producers every time (I know the average school has interactive whiteboards but the BBC had a reassuringly old-fashioned approach to these things).

Mine is simpler. I bought it from Ryman’s (despite the fact that the Ryman’s I go to is so badly organised I always end up missing my bus because of the queue) and it’s 39 x 56 cm and it came with a ‘free accessories pack’ consisting of a pen and a teeny whiteboard cleaner and some rawlplugs.

Funny thing…a blank screen on a computer is panic-inducing. Yet my lovely pristine £14.99 blank canvas, untouched by previous dry-wipe markers, represents potential.

I’m at the plotting stage of my eighth novel and I always find with plotting that it works best when I write rather than type, so I can draw arrows and squiggles and so on. Not sure why: perhaps it feels more playful and malleable and creative. But A4 is too small a canvas, while A3 is too unwieldy. And I hate crossings out, I like my plans to look pretty. So a whiteboard is perfect…I can clean bits off and draw arrows and section the page and it doesn’t tear or crumple. I know this is probably Too Much Information about how sad I am, but hey, it's good to unburden myself now and then.

I was feeling a bit blocked Before Whiteboard. Not sure why. Partly because I am going straight from editing Book 7, and partly because I have a fairly tight, immoveable deadline for this book and so I was feeling scared about making a mistake I think, in case it delayed me. Which is silly – writing a first draft is always a process of experimentation and I will make ‘mistakes’ that take me into new, unexpected places. But the whiteboard seems to give me the freedom to play around…

I’ve been following the ‘9 minute movie’ technique explored by Viki King in her screen-writing book. I don’t see this book as a film as such but her idea is sound – you picture the ‘movie/story’ at Page 1 (revealing setting and tone), Page 3 (central question), Page 10 (what will the story be?), 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and the nominal last page/resolution, 120 (that’s the average screenplay length – I guess if I was getting fussy about it, I’d scale up for a novel to 360 pages). As a way of beginning to fill in the gaps, it’s great and I'd recommend taking a look at the book for an intuitive way to work out your story.

So now I have a skeleton structure. It will change, of course, probably very dramatically. But thanks to my new gizmo and my pen and my imagination, I have a starting point.

I don’t have a whizzy internal photocopier thing, but I do have a digital camera, so I am photographing the whiteboard and then uploading it and printing it off to add to my Book 8 file. Slightly fiddly but again, much better than wrestling with huge sheets of paper.

Now I just have to write the thing…I'm actually heading off for a little while away from the computer to get started, so probably won't post again till after Bonfire Night. Have a good Halloween, everyone! And if you want to get ahead, get a whiteboard...