tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25758024571489295132024-03-14T07:42:30.206+00:00* Notebook to Novel *An author's guide...Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-48164909230095791182014-11-04T22:02:00.000+00:002014-11-04T22:02:44.057+00:00Book Review: Some Kind of Fairytale by Graham Joyce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKF_U0zzz1jXxqsu9FsgmB47C7dXCNWLtPeeHC0ttGamuOhPnLRbp-LDXIzKQtfhyiBH-2s9G5DjYPSPbFLzsqUh6w5cwhkiXN7fHQdoWyLualVXFZj9QKog3xZfNqaDZjRABiKT5BZ26k/s1600/SKoFT+cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKF_U0zzz1jXxqsu9FsgmB47C7dXCNWLtPeeHC0ttGamuOhPnLRbp-LDXIzKQtfhyiBH-2s9G5DjYPSPbFLzsqUh6w5cwhkiXN7fHQdoWyLualVXFZj9QKog3xZfNqaDZjRABiKT5BZ26k/s1600/SKoFT+cover.png" height="200" width="129" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">As some of you will know, I'm a regular book reviewer on The Kerry McLean Show on BBC Radio Ulster. Today I reviewed <em>Some Kind of Fairytale</em> by the late and much-lamented Graham Joyce. If you missed it you can listen </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mq33g" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> for the next 4 weeks (from 43 mins in) but here's a written review. <br /><br />This book is perfect for anyone who loves a modern fairy story; the kind that has a twist and a sting in the tale. It opens on Christmas day in the East Midlands, England. Mary and Dell Martin are just about to eat their Christmas dinner when there’s a knock at their door. When they open it, it’s their daughter Tara. Nothing unusual here – until we learn that Tara disappeared 20 years earlier and hasn’t been seen since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">When her brother Peter gets the phone call he hurries to his parents’ house and finds his long-lost sister physically unchanged. She still looks like a fifteen year old and swears she has only been gone for six months. The rest of the book explores not just what happened to Tara in the intervening years but the impact her disappearance had on her family and her then teenage boyfriend Richie.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you're familiar with Joyce's work, you'll know he's a really deceptive writer. He tells his stories very simply but he manages to talk about some really profound stuff without ever seeming pompous. I think this is because all his stories are rooted firmly in the characters he creates. A theme he returns to again and again in his books is just how thin the veil is between ‘normal’ life and what we could call ‘the other’. So in <em>Year of the Ladybird</em> and <em>The Silent Land</em> he writes about the thin line between life and death; in this book it’s about the line between our world and the fairy world, if we believe Tara’s account of what happened to her. His books work well on either level – you can read them as fantasy or you can read them as being wholly set in our world.</span></div>
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<!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The fairies themselves certainly aren’t winged critters at the bottom of the garden; they’re like very attractive, unfettered versions of us, living in communes, driven by their appetites and pleasure (so there are some fairly earthy sex scenes in the book and some equally earthy language). Some ideas are </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">borrowed from Irish fairy folklore – the idea of beautiful but spiteful fairies, living in a realm where time moves differently. Hiero (pronounced 'Yarrow') is incredibly attractive for all his dark side (if he'd offered to take me away on his white horse you wouldn't have seen me for dust so it's impossible to blame Tara). Interestingly Joyce weaves in real
court transcripts from the trial of Michael Cleary, convicted for the murder of his wife Bridget Cleary in 1895 because he believed she had been taken by the
fairies and a changeling left in her place. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Still, fairies aside, Joyce never loses sight of the fact that the real action of the book is set in
this world. Yes, there may or may not be another realm but he is interested in
what’s going on in this one and how the characters cope with Tara’s return; how
she tries to make amends. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One
of the most interesting characters is Richie, Tara’s boyfriend at the time of
her disappearance, and blamed for it by most of the community. He’s nearly 40
when Tara returns and his life is in ruins. He was a talented guitarist but now
he’s a heavy drinker, suffering agonising headaches and a bad case of arrested development. In his own way he has lost twenty years too and has to rebuild his life, just as Tara has.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">No writer is perfect and Joyce hits two jarring notes. There's an occasional clunky line of dialogue. Ninety percent of the time his characters rings absolutely true; then every so often there's a throwaway line so wrong that it makes me wince. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">More seriously his endings don't always live up to the start of his books. I've had this experience with both <em>The Silent Land</em> and <em>Some Kind of Fairytale</em>. I think it might be because his books are so enthralling and atmospheric that we expect something absolutely staggering at the end and he doesn't always pull it off. In this book the
last few pages went a bit awry for me – there was a whole ‘unreliable narrator’
twist that jarred me right out of the story. I've decided to forget about the last 4 pages of the book
and hold on to the rest! Similarly I didn't like the overly neat end of <em>The Silent Land</em> but so much of the book was haunting and beautiful that the best bits have stayed with me. I've managed to hold on to the feeling behind the book; a testament to the power of Joyce's ability to create mood and character.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Joyce was a beautiful writer – a storyteller who prided
himself on writing from the heart, not from the thesaurus (he had an online
debate with Will Self on this very topic). His legacy is in his books – they are
about love, loss and how magical our lives are, even in the most ordinary
of moments. And yes, there are other worlds behind the veil but for Joyce the real magic is
in our loves and hopes in the here and now and what we do with them.</span></span></div>
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<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-11360925047683237602014-10-27T18:00:00.000+00:002014-10-27T21:16:01.192+00:00Clutter, clear space and creativity...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've always been a bit messy. I don't like clutter but I seem to attract it, mainly because it's too boring to deal with while it's still manageable and after a while it's like a tsunami of <em>stuff</em> threatening to swamp me so it's easier to run, screaming, preferably in the direction of a coffee shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So far, no problem (other than the odd angry exchange with my long-suffering husband). <strong>But can clutter affect your writing?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are different schools of thought on this. Traditionally people maintained that an orderly desk is the sign of an orderly mind. Mess was bad, a reflection on the mental state or work ethic of the person working there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I prefer to go with the (apocryphal? Who cares...) Einstein-ism above. Well-publicised </span><a href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/10/messy-desk.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">research</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> suggests that <strong>messy types are more likely to be creative and take a chance on new things - essential skills for any writer</strong>. [Disclaimer: In the interests of honesty, messy people are also less likely to take care of themselves - which I suppose gives the ultimate win to the neat freaks peering into our graves and whispering, 'You shouldn't have finished all those half-eaten chocolate bars you found under the clutter...']</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mess doesn't always stop me working. Sometimes chaos brings its own energy and leads to manic bursts of productivity. When I'm working on a well-established book or project, I seem to be able to block it out and focus on the world in my head. In fact, maybe there is <strong>something about the mess (that powerful combination of chaos and stimulation) that makes me link characters and story strands together in unexpected ways</strong>, finding solutions to maddening plot problems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">There's one time when my theory falls down: when I'm writing something new. That's when the messy desk starts <em>bugging </em>me. Today I had planned to work in the library; for various reasons (including an interview, 8 gazillion emails and a laundry mountain) that hasn't happened. So, I find myself at my desk. And I have to tell you, it is making me <em>itch</em> sitting here. The books, the papers, the photos, the peanut butter jar (don't ask), the <em>clutter</em>. There is no possible way I can write from scratch at this desk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Writing something new, making a new world, bringing new characters into focus means starting with a blank slate. It means space to spread out and plan and stare at clear wood and see the big picture.</strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, grudgingly, it's time to get cleaning because then I can get writing. Consider these the last words from the mess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until next time...</span></div>
Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-26590578103293195662014-04-22T21:41:00.000+01:002014-04-22T21:41:27.499+01:00"That difficult second book..." (and third book... and fourth book...)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiqFFouoY-YBbL2D_8rmx6PWHd1eKco_3j3bpGkYmEBQ1yU4VRjiZ6nncJ1aS_EYXCSbITvhSZmXFdzTPBFGU_U22vSDec-FPyiNUvoATSA2_4ncjtuvyeM7j2QfbwNDTkl_zmBR1bywR/s1600/tortoise_1854798c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiqFFouoY-YBbL2D_8rmx6PWHd1eKco_3j3bpGkYmEBQ1yU4VRjiZ6nncJ1aS_EYXCSbITvhSZmXFdzTPBFGU_U22vSDec-FPyiNUvoATSA2_4ncjtuvyeM7j2QfbwNDTkl_zmBR1bywR/s1600/tortoise_1854798c.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8398664/Tortoise-starts-New-York-fire.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Those were the words I heard a lot when I was writing the second book. It's a line oft-repeated by agents, editors and authors alike. The first book is still a hobby piece; an act of hope and faith; an expression of joy. When you finally land a 3 book deal it's balloons, silly hats and champagne all round. You pat </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Co-D-J-McCune/dp/1471400921/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398198713&sr=8-2&keywords=death+%26+co" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">your first book cover</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> fondly and giggle when you see it on a real shelf in a library or book shop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And then comes Book 2. This time, you're a <em>professional writer</em>. This book isn't just a bit of fun - someone has paid you actual money, trusting that you will write it. This brings a certain <em>responsibility</em>. My life had changed a lot by the time I was writing <em><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Mortal-Knife-Death-Co/dp/1471402312/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Mortal Knife</span></a></strong></em>, mainly because I had become a mum. I had always been an evening writer; now I had to learn to sit down during the day and treat writing like the job it was and is. It wasn't easy but having a deadline on the horizon is a mighty effective combo of the carrot and stick. Maybe this is why writers find the second book tough - up until now the writing has been all carrot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Which brings me to Book 3. I'm not sure why I thought it would be easier. Maybe all that <em>'difficult second book</em>' stuff implied <em>'that stupidly easy third book!</em>' Except it isn't easy. It's difficult. And finally I am beginning to get it. Writing 80-90,000 words of gripping, funny, consistent, warm-hearted prose is NEVER going to be easy. No matter how many times I do it, I will never be able to describe it as easy. The day I can describe the process as easy, I'm not growing. I'm not stretching myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But - and there is a but - one thing does get easier and it's the thing that gets me past all the other difficulties. No matter how hard it gets, I can tell myself: 'I've done this before.' As I limp towards the finish line of Book 3 I know I've been here and lived to tell the tale. For years I was the queen of the half-finished novel - but no one will ever read your half-finished novel. It will languish on a long-defunct laptop or memory pen - or even a floppy disc (revealing my age. Remember those?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, if there is one thing I have learned about writing in the last few years, it's this: <strong>FINISH SOMETHING</strong>. Because the power of finishing something - be it a poem, a story or even a book - is that <strong>once you've done it,</strong> <strong>YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN</strong>. And even if your first or second or tenth efforts don't get the reception you want, that's okay. Next time you'll do it better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now, if you'll excuse me, I've a book to finish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-37486962909606515712013-10-10T16:18:00.000+01:002013-10-10T16:18:08.566+01:00Shiny new book cover!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Khv61uEOSMR_3Njb8Gu0tdB9KHdhwNyyTDI1mWd7CsnWF-RnQ0036umLI9hPXoMSQ2kLilYH2WHuxuGq3LL7RYq7bNC9BkWCNvn-ld0BePiRBXdN6vK-tjKEnKOZu32GUxR4zJ6HOhqU/s1600/DEATH_AND_CO_2_SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Khv61uEOSMR_3Njb8Gu0tdB9KHdhwNyyTDI1mWd7CsnWF-RnQ0036umLI9hPXoMSQ2kLilYH2WHuxuGq3LL7RYq7bNC9BkWCNvn-ld0BePiRBXdN6vK-tjKEnKOZu32GUxR4zJ6HOhqU/s640/DEATH_AND_CO_2_SMALL.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-21747938332385171002013-05-31T22:25:00.003+01:002013-05-31T22:25:44.249+01:00Say hello to Hot Key :-)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53qYou6r9iAGxuTI4sIHA2yAotOZYKEIToqCVWlgCTwzZZy5doa9HKIzabBsWmYKZeIok2nFubCu6ZLV1qymvs8W7Vastlh0kmtfOd_j90I3KG2uHdq6KbQZ96kkhxr5GbwFMdSG_ocLb/s1600/P5160280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53qYou6r9iAGxuTI4sIHA2yAotOZYKEIToqCVWlgCTwzZZy5doa9HKIzabBsWmYKZeIok2nFubCu6ZLV1qymvs8W7Vastlh0kmtfOd_j90I3KG2uHdq6KbQZ96kkhxr5GbwFMdSG_ocLb/s400/P5160280.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L-R: Emily, Jet, Naomi, Jan, Georgia, Sarah O, Me, Cait, Sarah B, Livs <br />
and Front L-R: Amy and Meg</td></tr>
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I've been feeling guilty recently - about this blog. I started *Notebook to Novel* as an aspiring, unpublished author and used it as a place to pour out my dreams and disappointments and any tips I picked up along the way.<br />
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Now life has changed to the point where I barely recognise it. In the last year I've not only become a mum (now there's a voyage into the unknown!) - I've also become a real, live, professional author. I say professional because for the next couple of years I'll be taking a break from my day job and concentrating on family life - and writing life!<br />
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There'll be lots more about that. But for now let me tell you that one of the most strange and lovely things about getting a book deal is seeing the other side of publishing - the inside if you like. And the nicest thing of all is realising just what a team effort publishing a book is.<br />
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Writing is largely a solitary endeavour. It relies on you being able to go into your own head and disappear; hang out with characters who feel real but aren't real (that's important by the way. They aren't real, hence the return to normal life is possible!) I've written before about how important it is to find other writers and dreamers and people who understand but even with this much of the graft of writing is a solo effort.<br />
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But when a book gets accepted by a publisher a whole new world is revealed. You work with editors who help you find the real heart of your story and put it on display. It's like walking in to see your hairdresser, peering out from beneath a fringe that's too long - and an hour later you walk out with your face finally framed and visible and on show to the world.<br />
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You work as part of an incredibly passionate, talented team of people who share one aim - to help get your little book out into the world and read by as many people as possible. There are people who design beautiful book covers; there are people who help you arrange events and market the book (and generally treat you like royalty on the entertainment front. In two weeks of Hot Key events I probably put on half a stone...)<br />
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And beyond Hot Key are all the other amazing people who are working to get <em>Death & Co</em> out there and read by as many people as possible: book buyers, book sellers, librarians and all the other unsung heroes of the book world. These people have lots of guts and get very little of the glory. They love books, their knowledge is encyclopaedic and they aren't afraid to sit down with a bottle of wine and tell you exactly why a particular book is brilliant or awful. <br />
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So this post is to say thank you. Thank you to all the people who left comments on the blog over the last couple of years. Thank you to Gillie my agent and to my family and friends who kept the faith. Thank you to Hot Key for loving Adam and his family and his world as much as I do.<br />
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And if you're reading this blog, longing for your own book deal - longing to see YOUR book in your hands - be inspired. Go back to the start of this blog when I was just daydreaming about it. No matter what you hear about how tough the market is - it is still possible for a debut author to get a book deal with a brilliant publisher. Keep writing and keep believing. You're next!<br />
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<strong>If you'd like to read <em>Death & Co</em> for yourself you can buy it from </strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1471400921/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1PJGRCAM23K1G5Q364A1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358549367&pf_rd_i=468294" target="_blank"><strong>Amazon</strong></a><strong>, Waterstones, </strong><a href="http://www.easons.com/p-1090513-death-co.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>Easons</strong></a><strong> and all good independent booksellers.</strong>Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-49285345711837709262013-01-31T00:27:00.003+00:002013-01-31T00:27:43.090+00:00BLOG HOP: The Next Big Thing!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2wykmEyv9dFBEla-0spVXlt5Npktv1TU51P9LRa80HhJWgRmQnsdZwNUAR6D1Ty0LI5vKrduRoHK1zHCDM4eX4YYy_jqAGZPOQI_FlXmZH-AHkG4MrFeLkyI4Z4IjtdZR4L8Bi7SpfH3/s1600/Death+%2526+Co+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2wykmEyv9dFBEla-0spVXlt5Npktv1TU51P9LRa80HhJWgRmQnsdZwNUAR6D1Ty0LI5vKrduRoHK1zHCDM4eX4YYy_jqAGZPOQI_FlXmZH-AHkG4MrFeLkyI4Z4IjtdZR4L8Bi7SpfH3/s1600/Death+%2526+Co+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2wykmEyv9dFBEla-0spVXlt5Npktv1TU51P9LRa80HhJWgRmQnsdZwNUAR6D1Ty0LI5vKrduRoHK1zHCDM4eX4YYy_jqAGZPOQI_FlXmZH-AHkG4MrFeLkyI4Z4IjtdZR4L8Bi7SpfH3/s320/Death+%2526+Co+final.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right, my first ever blog hop! I had no idea such a thing
existed until I was tagged by the lovely <a href="http://www.berniemcgill.com/2013/01/next-big-thing" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Bernie McGill</span></a> who I’ve mentioned
<a href="http://debbiemccune.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/every-writer-needs-pwa.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">before</span></a>. Basically it’s a chance for writers to share a little bit about their
work with other writers and the rest of the world. So, here’s everything you
wanted to know...</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What are you
working on at the moment?</strong> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sequel
to <em><strong><a href="https://www.hotkeybooks.com/books/detail/death-co" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">Death & Co.</span></a></strong></em> I have a working title but I’m always madly secretive about
my titles in a superstitious sort of way! So for now it is simply known as Book
2!</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Where did
the idea come from for the book? </strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Obviously as
a sequel the idea came with the first book. It actually came about when I was
typing an email to my friend and writing mentor Bernie McGill (who tagged me to
do this blog!). I was supposed to be meeting her for coffee and emailed to warn
her that I had a stinking cold. Given to hyperbole I started writing, ‘I don’t
just feel like death; I feel like Death’s ailing granny...’ and felt that
sudden PING! that every writer will recognise – that feeling that there’s an
idea there that just might lead to something. I started writing <em>Death & Co.</em>
that night and never looked back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What genre does your book fall under? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Near world Teen / Crossover fantasy. It’s our world with a
twist!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Which actors would you choose to play in a film rendition of
your book? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ha! Every writer’s fantasy question! Unfortunately it would
require a time machine as I have a few ideas for actors but they would all need
to be about ten years younger than their current age. So for example Nathanial would
be perfectly played by a slightly younger Colin Firth. He has the right
combination of compassion and slight careworn-ness – not to mention being
so very English! Kristin Scott Thomas would make a lovely Elise – and no
one could do Auntie Jo more justice than Jo Brand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What is the one sentence synopsis for your book? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gah! Every writer’s most hated question! I guess it would
be: <strong><span style="color: purple;">Fifteen year old Adam is a reluctant Luman, guiding souls into the
afterlife – when all he really wants is to be normal.</span></strong> Most of the tension and
humour in the book revolves around this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Will your book be self-published or represented by an
agency? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a lovely agent called Gillie Russell at Aitken
Alexander Associates. She negotiated my deal with Hot Key Books, a fantastic
new publisher specialising in teen fiction. They only launched last year but
they’ve already had amazing success – one of their first books <em>Maggot Moon</em> won
the Costa Children’s Book Prize. So basically my book has found a good home!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>How long did it take you to write the first draft of the
manuscript? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wrote it in bits and pieces – so worked hard for a couple
of months, then took a four month break, then finally found the motivation to
finish it over another couple of months. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What other books would you compare this to within this
genre? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a really tricky question because I can’t think of
any other books quite like it. In my mind it’s the book lovechild of <em>The
Inbetweeners</em> and <em>The Adams Family</em>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Who or what inspired you to write this book? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve already described the lightbulb moment up above – but I
guess I have always been interested in the supernatural and general existential
questions about why we’re here, what our lives mean – and of course if there’s
anything out there after we die. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t wrestled with
these questions at some stage in their lives – and the variety of
answers is amazing. Plus I've worked with teenagers for most of my career and they are great craic - so it seems natural to me to make them the heroes of everything I write!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book is quite dark in places – but it’s also very funny –
a bit like life itself. The general consensus from the people who have read
it is that ultimately it’s a joyful, life-affirming book in spite of the tough subject
matter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll let you be the judge!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>FINITO</strong>! That was quick! Now, time to pass the candle onwards
and upwards. Having mangled as many metaphors as possible I now present <a href="http://gunstreetgirls.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Deirdre Sullivan</span></a> and <a href="http://www.winellroad.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">KJ Foster</span></a>. They’ll both be posting on the 6th February. Enjoy!</span></div>
Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-43176830804190841192012-12-31T23:59:00.005+00:002012-12-31T23:59:54.541+00:00What I learned this year about... writing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl5QpWG206eMgCANkXiEhMLlTY5Ljseeh8iv6UjrtbUCqRzt9woXF6R90mGnqU-9XuEDjmZbH2Y6BgocVn_oYaLYJ98KnHGOVkQNrudfi_b4KXYZo6-2ufXF16NVCDFI_IQMtE5P4Smnh/s1600/PB010771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl5QpWG206eMgCANkXiEhMLlTY5Ljseeh8iv6UjrtbUCqRzt9woXF6R90mGnqU-9XuEDjmZbH2Y6BgocVn_oYaLYJ98KnHGOVkQNrudfi_b4KXYZo6-2ufXF16NVCDFI_IQMtE5P4Smnh/s320/PB010771.JPG" width="240" /></a>Keep doing it. Don't stop. Your time will come!</div>
<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-81878698167890403312012-12-31T00:22:00.000+00:002012-12-31T00:22:55.913+00:00What I learned this year about... babies.<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRsWTZYTcWjsW0xI7qnqXgbswOvTrvnws88GQr3yFVCR58YLUu3KnqoLyMPmRgeCZa8G2DBcZMxsaKKXwRqydlMAbKfnSgFN0L-WZYhRksJfSYJ57HuWb6dEJ9xgn8M8jJTVCun8EaLRA/s1600/PC020906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRsWTZYTcWjsW0xI7qnqXgbswOvTrvnws88GQr3yFVCR58YLUu3KnqoLyMPmRgeCZa8G2DBcZMxsaKKXwRqydlMAbKfnSgFN0L-WZYhRksJfSYJ57HuWb6dEJ9xgn8M8jJTVCun8EaLRA/s320/PC020906.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I've only been a mum for three months but let me share what I've learned in that short time...<br />
<br />
- However they come out, be it through the trapdoor or the sunroof, it's gonna hurt.<br />
<br />
- The first four weeks are pretty much awful. Nothing can really prepare you for the exhaustion. Whole days and weeks blur by in hallucinatory four hour cycles of waking, feeding, winding, changing, dozing, waking, feeding... Lots of people gloss over this fact. I would like to thank the handful of people who were brutally honest about this. And everyone else... I reckon you just blocked it all out, like any other trauma - so I forgive ya!<br />
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- Whatever joyful moments you can seize upon in these first four weeks - grab them and don't let go. It might be a shower, an uninterrupted meal, someone taking the bean for a walk so you can sleep... Enjoy each and every such moment!<br />
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- Babies grow fast. Take lots of photos. The speed at which they change is miraculous. Expect to be mildly broken-hearted when they grow out of the newborn clothes.<br />
<br />
- At about five to six weeks they start smiling and interacting. They begin to grin and coo and sing to themselves. They develop a visible personality. At this point, magically, all the sleeplessness and hormones and pain (not to mention nine months of pregnancy) suddenly becomes worthwhile. You realise that by sheer good fortune you have created something truly amazing - a whole new person.<br />
<br />
- Babies take centre-stage. You are no longer the star in your own life. <br />
<br />
- Swaddling is your friend. Ditto the angry hiss of static or any other white noise, especially if you have a colicky or overtired screamy baby. I recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-Bliss-One-stop-Months-Beyond/dp/0141007915/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1356909674&sr=8-6" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Baby Bliss</span></a> by Dr Harvey Karp (aka The Happiest Baby on the Block) for tips and tricks. It saved my last remaining marbles.<br />
<br />
- People love babies. It is amazing the happiness a baby brings, not just to family and friends but to complete strangers (in supermarkets and cafes to name just two examples). And when a baby bestows a smile on someone - it can make their day.<br />
<br />
- Most of all I have learned that your own baby really is different. No matter how unmaternal you feel before your baby arrives (e.g. backing away in terror when a friend / colleague holds out a dribbling, shrieking, writhing newborn) somehow after those first few weeks have passed in a blur you will wake up one day, look at your gummy, grinning new arrival and realise that your life has changed forever - and that's okay.<br />
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<br />
Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-55816089810299486312012-11-30T19:31:00.000+00:002012-11-30T19:35:40.358+00:00A triumphant week for the PWA!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx4naImxVIx_587qVPUDoBq9TQC0ZxOXPJ2RxcuTgR2sxGPj3xmuWdTC2q3KUga41AP9INAPPxR3GKQBAS8iQMJOZcuEWGZreQh6Rnh0y75nMKbH6cgnPYxxUE4KTV48D3Ggk0yun2P9X/s1600/champagne2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx4naImxVIx_587qVPUDoBq9TQC0ZxOXPJ2RxcuTgR2sxGPj3xmuWdTC2q3KUga41AP9INAPPxR3GKQBAS8iQMJOZcuEWGZreQh6Rnh0y75nMKbH6cgnPYxxUE4KTV48D3Ggk0yun2P9X/s200/champagne2.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
I've written before about the fabulous<span style="color: magenta;"> </span><a href="http://debbiemccune.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/every-writer-needs-pwa.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">PWA</span></a> - our online (and occasional in-the-flesh) writing group. And while my NaNoWriMo efforts have been an epic fail (due to proofing I hasten to add, wasn't slacking completely...) <strong>two PWA members had awesome success this week!</strong><br />
<br />
First up <a href="http://www.berniemcgill.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Bernie McGill's</strong></span></a><strong> novel <em>The Butterfly Cabinet</em> was chosen by Julian Fellowes as his </strong><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/nov/25/books-of-the-year-2012?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>novel of the year</strong></span></a><strong>!</strong> For those of you unfamiliar with Julian Fellowes he's currently best known as the writer of the international hit series <em>Downton Abbey. </em>I love <em>Downton Abbey</em> (and not just because fellow PWA-peep Julie Agnew and I enjoy drooling over the delectable Branson...) and am quite jealous of the US audience who haven't seen the third series yet. Of <em><a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/bernie+mcgill/the+butterfly+cabinet/8104099/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">The Butterfly Cabinet</span></a> </em>he writes, "McGill has the ability to enter into the brain and heart of her characters and so to make us sympathise with people who commit acts we abhor."<br />
<br />
And secondly <strong>short story writer </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mandy-Taggart-fiction-writer/360990260622360" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Mandy Taggart</strong></span></a><strong> has won the 2012 Michael McLaverty Short Story Award </strong>(run by the Linenhall Library, Belfast) with her story <em>Ways of the North</em>. It will be published in an anthology along with the two runners up. If you want to hear Mandy talking about her win you can listen (for 30 days only!) to her <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/arts" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Radio Ulster interview</span></a>. (Mandy's bit is at the end.)<br />
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<strong>Congratulations to both lovely ladies!</strong> I'm feeling suitably inspired by their success to get the proofs finished and get some writing done!Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-77014305716753670502012-11-01T17:36:00.000+00:002012-11-01T17:36:00.373+00:00The proofs have arrived!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69QdTKeQX2DlqHPxvflRbaHCZCIOOFvD6t0xl0SWLceB8qe8IpDIMyk8xfn_l4FsxMryLzlJgjip-ZHht7UmTGGZc9jdwGMtn3kkuMai4OGr1jQUVXvBGUWtQdzyhq1iRkdKXutK_3vsc/s1600/PB010771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69QdTKeQX2DlqHPxvflRbaHCZCIOOFvD6t0xl0SWLceB8qe8IpDIMyk8xfn_l4FsxMryLzlJgjip-ZHht7UmTGGZc9jdwGMtn3kkuMai4OGr1jQUVXvBGUWtQdzyhq1iRkdKXutK_3vsc/s200/PB010771.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
Exciting times in the McCune / Murph household - the uncorrected proofs of <em>Death & Co.</em> have arrived! The picture at the minute is the Hot Key logo but I've seen the first draft of the 'real' cover and absolutely love it - it really captures the spirit of the book!<br />
<br />
This is the first time I've ever seen something I wrote bound into an actual book - and it was amazing flicking open the pages and finding <em>my</em> words inside. Up until now the book has only existed on the computer screen or a dog-eared, heavily marked print out. Suddenly the book seems so much more <em>real</em>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9H6hlEchkNdawApoZVl3IzMoEFz4oKOQ7RryAuBG6kdHd7qKkISpJ72qxyNAz9Q8CPlpv-vL0w0m5oHBYKU7keIG7Kh2F-3_mmh5AhMNrxPPxfOu47v7_08UKxtHAib-BV8TUog-d2IPI/s1600/PB010777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9H6hlEchkNdawApoZVl3IzMoEFz4oKOQ7RryAuBG6kdHd7qKkISpJ72qxyNAz9Q8CPlpv-vL0w0m5oHBYKU7keIG7Kh2F-3_mmh5AhMNrxPPxfOu47v7_08UKxtHAib-BV8TUog-d2IPI/s320/PB010777.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
And as if this wasn't cool enough check out what they've done at the start of each chapter - I am loving the 'woodcuttings'. You can catch a sneak peek at the first couple of paragraphs of the Prologue here...Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-81174028526977002072012-10-31T22:40:00.003+00:002012-10-31T22:40:57.107+00:00It's almost November... It's NaNoWriMo Time!<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QOmG3S45heN0P8zRBdXFYp3t3xwPrKQnnasvgNWeGS7syDi3vul5jE-WtC3UheR-VNA6IK7KvfS5bAriCxHdvLtohT-1oU33vXr0tl9ztzmQVKWM-0K8RjrrS1PnKk_yEyLZkRYnqAAC/s1600/PA310764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QOmG3S45heN0P8zRBdXFYp3t3xwPrKQnnasvgNWeGS7syDi3vul5jE-WtC3UheR-VNA6IK7KvfS5bAriCxHdvLtohT-1oU33vXr0tl9ztzmQVKWM-0K8RjrrS1PnKk_yEyLZkRYnqAAC/s320/PA310764.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
A very quick post this evening as the witching hour is approaching on this spookiest of evenings...!<br />
<br />
So our daughter Ellen is just over 5 weeks old today - hard to believe. The days and nights have blurred past in 3-4 hour slots of feeding, nappy changing and catching some sleep when the opportunity presents itself. But don't worry, I am exacting my revenge by getting as many comical photos of her as possible. I look forward to showing them to prospective suitors in the future... <br />
<br />
And of course the end of October means only one thing - tomorrow is November and the start of NaNoWriMo. I believe the usual target is 50,000 words but I've decided that might be a tad ambitious with a newborn baby. So, my personal target will be 10,000 words this month. I suspect they will be pretty awful words but no one can fault my optimism. It's not too late to set your own target so if you want some tips check out the <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">NaNoWriMo website</span></a>.<br />
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And one final bit of excitement. The book (out next year) is called <em>Death & Co. -</em> and by spooky coincidence the bound but uncorrected proofs arrived with Hot Key today, ready to head off to Australia! A very suitable book for Halloween of course. You can check out the temporary cover <a href="http://instagram.com/p/RcQlqZFkSc/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></a> - but I can't wait to reveal the real book cover because it's AMAZING!<br />
<br />
Happy Halloween!<br />
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Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-52459819129734878322012-10-05T16:36:00.000+01:002012-10-05T16:36:42.121+01:00A tale of 3 Jane's...<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEDxZFr0kzfuwKlI5qufAOSUe3rG0rSCT6SNLfEMdD4S7BxhrHeP61GZVWJkFOw1D5qFogS0iGXUHZgHSPISSFBInuz7ekpDayXHJserrPhZzyQLJ9Z4E8j23vJniKQT2UkQ2zX807TaB/s1600/P9280561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEDxZFr0kzfuwKlI5qufAOSUe3rG0rSCT6SNLfEMdD4S7BxhrHeP61GZVWJkFOw1D5qFogS0iGXUHZgHSPISSFBInuz7ekpDayXHJserrPhZzyQLJ9Z4E8j23vJniKQT2UkQ2zX807TaB/s320/P9280561.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Well world, I'd like you to meet someone. This is our brand, shiny new daughter Ellen Jane, born on Tuesday 25th September at 1.01pm. She came out with eyes wide open, a squawk of indignation and a thick head of dark hair which is greatly admired (and petted cat-style) by all.<br />
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Choosing a name can be fraught with difficulty but we went for Ellen because it was beautiful and classical and means 'bright light'. Her middle name is Jane, which is also my middle name - when the book comes out next year it will be published under <em>D J McCune. </em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHx42gYkzBbU1Y3e9GBUiDtYkZoFk6GTrlWxXWlu_C1jL4Y46IvmP8ZNJdyqXKq-RsSUFfrvuU98d4FzFGo7Z3U8t-xkCZQOj19okj7tXjlSbHIA0iSB3PXJ6hW6NFLWHr9p3nI_uDk0q/s1600/Granny+03.10.2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHx42gYkzBbU1Y3e9GBUiDtYkZoFk6GTrlWxXWlu_C1jL4Y46IvmP8ZNJdyqXKq-RsSUFfrvuU98d4FzFGo7Z3U8t-xkCZQOj19okj7tXjlSbHIA0iSB3PXJ6hW6NFLWHr9p3nI_uDk0q/s320/Granny+03.10.2011.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
So two Jane's so far - but both Ellen and I were named for the third - or rather the first. This is my Granny Jane Oakes, known as Jenny. She died on the 5th of October 2011 at the age of 95. She lived through two World Wars - the first as a baby herself, the second as a mother with babies of her own (she told us about hiding in the cupboard under the stairs when the air raid sirens went off and bombers flew towards Belfast). She originally came from Newcastle in England but moved to Northern Ireland when she got married. <br />
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Granny absolutely adored books, poetry and reading and would often sit up reading into the small hours of the night (a habit she passed on to me). I never got to tell her about the book deal but I know she would have been proud. I also know she would have been proud of her newest great-grandaughter, named in her honour - just as she was proud of all her other children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<br />
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There's always grief when we lose someone we love. I was still writing <em>Death & Co. </em>when Granny died and it added a particular poignancy to the whole thing - writing a book about life and death and free will and family and the afterlife when the memories of a real bereavement were so sharp and fresh. Sometimes it seems insane that the world still turns when someone you love has died; that the other players keep walking the stage with all their triumphs and tribulations.<br />
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In the end, we all find our own ways to remember the people who have gone before us - place flowers, pull out old photos, light candles. But maybe the best thing we can do to honour the dead is to live well and do the things we know would have made them proud.Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-84821709754581956442012-09-24T22:53:00.001+01:002012-09-24T22:53:34.425+01:00Writing and juggling... the latest twist.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRbmCwslUw6iwvWoWuHwn1cucJnchLTTGhNj7U_bUcNUUSJXrajnUTzBKNkcYdEd_uUD1uVBafHwgqegu18NcpStyQIEZeW73AsL9ph9eH32Gt2D08RHdDHJFUkDJlCg83T_oY2gRWNlW/s1600/Female+juggler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRbmCwslUw6iwvWoWuHwn1cucJnchLTTGhNj7U_bUcNUUSJXrajnUTzBKNkcYdEd_uUD1uVBafHwgqegu18NcpStyQIEZeW73AsL9ph9eH32Gt2D08RHdDHJFUkDJlCg83T_oY2gRWNlW/s320/Female+juggler.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blackfeminism.library.ucsb.edu/soc_psych.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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<strong>All writers are jugglers</strong>. I suspect <strong>most scribblers harbour a fantasy about being a 'real writer'</strong>. The fantasy probably reads something like the following...<br />
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<em>Once upon a time there was a writer who lived in a cottage by the sea. The world pretty much left her alone, apart from the seagulls she had trained to bring her the odd packet of Doritos. She wrote stories and sold them to publishers who paid all her bills. The taxman liked her stories so much he left her alone. And so she whiled away her days eating Doritos, walking on the beach and effortlessly writing books without distraction. THE END</em><br />
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Now, even as a fantasy writer, that is pretty far-fetched - but a lot of us have some version of this tucked away in a dark corner of our minds. "If only it wasn't for my (delete as appropriate)... job / husband / kids / pets / responsibilities I would be able to write! Goddammit, I could <em>write</em>!" [adopts tortured expression of frustrated artist]<br />
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Thing is, <strong>we all have to juggle writing with life</strong>. I don't think that ever goes away, even if you're some amazingly successful writer - I mean c'mon, then you've got cool parties to attend and book panels to waffle on and that house in the Bermudas to visit... (See why I write fantasy, this stuff is easy...). Stephen King points out that TV is one of the greatest distractions for many aspiring writers ('sucking on the glass teat' is the rather evocative phrase he uses). For me the internet is my personal precipice - after all, as a writer the internet is so <em>essential</em>, so <em>justifiable</em>! You have to do research, email editors and agents, connect with other writers - and of course readers.<br />
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And <strong>from tomorrow I will have a whole new 'ball' to juggle</strong>. It - or rather she - will be roughly 9lbs in weight and pretty ferocious when she's tired or hungry. <strong>I'm guessing parenthood brings particular challenges for any writer</strong> - after all, being a parent is largely about being unselfish and sacrificing your personal wishes and desires for someone else, especially at the beginning. <strong>You begin to dream some new dreams for someone else - and for once they're not a character, they're a real flesh and blood human being. They don't <em>have to</em> follow the path you prescribe for them</strong> - tough for any writer (because let's face it, writing is as close as you can get to playing God without actually re-training as a dictator). And writing is selfish in a way - romping through your own head, choosing at times to ignore the world around you. From what I hear newborns don't tend to tolerate being ignored for long...<br />
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So as I sit here typing I can feel our daughter having a final alien-style squirm around, getting ready to erupt into the world, a whole new human being! Hopefully I'll learn the same skills so many of you have had to learn - balancing the role of writer and mum without messing up* as either (*Disclaimer: too much, most of the time. Is that aiming low?) <br />
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And any tips you've learned along the way - do share. <strong>After all, every one of us is a juggler - but many hands make light(er) work.</strong><br />
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<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-76903551606308150252012-09-14T21:36:00.000+01:002012-09-14T21:40:37.456+01:00Currently watching... The 4400<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPdVULyeq99fuCukLhagtohqbSg2I6TbcxRYl4Ozc4Z-wO2bVFv1Xc8nPcWdYYv9a_IT3EuaiPFKxpfpsav4hWEuZKxgUCTFA_N-r5SudaEascyhqyfNSlGmoewBBuUru8QTAFkBjtbsd/s1600/The_4400_2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPdVULyeq99fuCukLhagtohqbSg2I6TbcxRYl4Ozc4Z-wO2bVFv1Xc8nPcWdYYv9a_IT3EuaiPFKxpfpsav4hWEuZKxgUCTFA_N-r5SudaEascyhqyfNSlGmoewBBuUru8QTAFkBjtbsd/s1600/The_4400_2006.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_4400" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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Having worked pretty hard for the last few months on all sorts of things I'm enjoying a rare bit of down time at the minute - the calm before the storm so to speak.<br />
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<strong>So what better way to pass a few lazy hours than with a box set of <em>The 4400</em>?</strong> It's a quirky little series which I'd never heard of until it popped up in a 'recommended for you' list.<br />
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The plot essentially revolves around 4,400 people who go missing from earth, from a variety of different countries and times - only to all be returned at the same time with no memory of where they have been and a variety of new 'superhuman' abilities. Rather like <em>Heroes</em> these abilities can be used for good and evil - and at my current viewing stage (half way through season 3) the jury is still out on a couple of the main characters. Are they goodies or baddies?<br />
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<strong>It's the perfect chill out DVD - near world sci-fi, undemanding, good mix of characters and 40 minute bite-sized episodes.</strong> It's also pretty addictive so expect to watch 2 or 3 episodes back to back. <br />
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My one concern is the knowledge that <strong>like so many American shows it fell victim to 'sudden death'</strong> - where a studio for various reasons (usually financial) cancels halfway through the final season and without necessarily tying up all the loose ends. <strong>It's lazy, annoying and disrespectful to viewers who have invested time watching hours of content, only to be cheated out of a conclusion</strong> (thinking especially of the ill-fated <em>Flash Forward </em>here, not to mention the utterly bizarre, rush-job ending of the really promising <em><a href="http://debbiemccune.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/loving-jericho.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Jericho</span></a></em>). I haven't seen the last series of <em>The 4400 </em>yet but <strong>I'm really hoping it ends with a bang instead of a whimper...</strong><br />
<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-71219999219240322662012-09-10T22:50:00.000+01:002012-10-28T20:11:51.277+00:00Every writer needs a PWA!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAaTfSL5-YPZM_1rnmgGRmXisPRDFH6PO87Ec54FLOwoEbl8JCtPAmJeL7iz7rhxg976LtLeu4kLY6XnB8l9J5CMLc2i6bB-aCAHBe3FdetmYzJ7dkmHWwJhrooyBznIsU2bh3WFaMzju/s1600/highfive_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAaTfSL5-YPZM_1rnmgGRmXisPRDFH6PO87Ec54FLOwoEbl8JCtPAmJeL7iz7rhxg976LtLeu4kLY6XnB8l9J5CMLc2i6bB-aCAHBe3FdetmYzJ7dkmHWwJhrooyBznIsU2bh3WFaMzju/s320/highfive_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/tools/exchange/positive-staff-development/small-staff" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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"Ah-ha, ah-ha, but what is a PWA?" I hear you ask (channelling Dr Seuss). Allow me to explain...<br />
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The PWA is short for the Procrastinating Writers' Association. Like the best nights out, it came about spontaneously and without any real planning. In October 2011 a few of us formed an online Facebook group for <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">NaNoWriMo</span></a>. We all had different goals - from ploughing on with books to writing more short stories - but essentially we wanted to stop getting distracted and get some writing done!<br />
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Over time our little group has evolved into something really special. Sometimes life gets busy and it can be hard to make time for meet-ups - but thanks to the internet a group of fellow writers is never too far away. The PWA has given us a space to share ideas, celebrations, commiserations, gossip, news about life and the odd picture of <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?rlz=1T4ADRA_enGB427&q=branson+downton+abbey&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=IgBOUNPQJOWw0AX6z4HwDg&biw=1280&bih=651&sei=JwBOUIP3Aca40QXx6IHgCg" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Branson from Downton Abbey</span></a>... {ahem}.<br />
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The thing is, writing can be intense. Possibly every writer is a bit crazy - happy to spend time locked in a room in their head with a bunch of non-existent people who somehow conspire to bring themselves into existence. There's only so much a long-suffering spouse or pet can listen to as you cackle with delight at your latest plot twist or evil villain. That's why it's so important to find people who understand.<br />
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So if you're struggling to finish your latest project, why not get together with other people who get the crazy? Why not create your own PWA? You won't look back. <br />
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And before I go let me introduce you to our PWA...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp6k13MpgunUpZWJkGq9H0Yh00F8KrrsUrntFFoSJZrMLFeMqPBbvzo-xIW6PQeeKIDkya7iqOrsVbPV7kYtOwXaop0tHnTqC5qMf268kfOo8sQUDYxTaVjbeY2MfJImcoHX5sUMp16f0/s1600/Julie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp6k13MpgunUpZWJkGq9H0Yh00F8KrrsUrntFFoSJZrMLFeMqPBbvzo-xIW6PQeeKIDkya7iqOrsVbPV7kYtOwXaop0tHnTqC5qMf268kfOo8sQUDYxTaVjbeY2MfJImcoHX5sUMp16f0/s200/Julie.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is Julie Agnew. Although she was no doubt a child prodigy she is a bit older than this now so don't feel insecure. She writes lovely poems but she's also working on her first book, which is very, very funny and warm-hearted, rather like Julie herself. It has a working title of 'Holly' because that's what the main character is called and the rest of the PWA are going to torment her until she finishes it because we want to know how it <em>ends</em>! On a side note, she posts distracting pictures of semi-naked Olympians to take us away from work. Grrrrr (not).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtOSUgRXzz1NZJYusaC_L7xSHuECViFFH6Ec38v7xWtqkO-n0AvreG8G3LK1C0aVOObSb6azIn-lQtP_kavyJD6PbKtiLkr2zYCBANR2EUAqjaTQN_QIRc7Ani1YHiN_TtgE87Tpe_Ncu/s1600/Bernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtOSUgRXzz1NZJYusaC_L7xSHuECViFFH6Ec38v7xWtqkO-n0AvreG8G3LK1C0aVOObSb6azIn-lQtP_kavyJD6PbKtiLkr2zYCBANR2EUAqjaTQN_QIRc7Ani1YHiN_TtgE87Tpe_Ncu/s320/Bernie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This is Bernie McGill. I met Bernie (and the other PWA members) when I joined the Creative Writing Class at <a href="http://www.flowerfield.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Flowerfield Arts Centre</span></a>, Portstewart. Bernie is the endlessly patient and positive tutor in the class, who somehow manages to help you critique your work while being incredibly gentle and encouraging. She's also the author of a beautiful novel <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Butterfly-Cabinet-Bernie-McGill/dp/0755370708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347290809&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">The Butterfly Cabinet</span></a>,</em> prize-winning short stories and a couple of plays. You can find out more about Bernie and her work if you visit her lovely <a href="http://www.berniemcgill.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">website</span></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K5iEOca1gt2-7BD8UUw50veb3CkltzLiMwegEtUjfJ724hOyTmse95SoSqxzaYAI1OHtInwVP-xYWE6KMKuF4u64AveiZjUL3e6ropuxsKluDhrgFWWP5_D92sGXfyQJPpKz7Mzk0VA2/s1600/Mandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K5iEOca1gt2-7BD8UUw50veb3CkltzLiMwegEtUjfJ724hOyTmse95SoSqxzaYAI1OHtInwVP-xYWE6KMKuF4u64AveiZjUL3e6ropuxsKluDhrgFWWP5_D92sGXfyQJPpKz7Mzk0VA2/s200/Mandy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
And finally... presenting Mandy Taggart! Mandy writes absolutely beautiful short fiction, some pieces really moving, some with a wonderful thread of dark humour running through them. She has been awarded an Arts Council grant for 2012-13 to give her the chance to focus on her writing - hurrah! You can find links to some of her published stories on her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mandy-Taggart-fiction-writer/360990260622360" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Facebook page</span></a>, including a link of her reading a piece called <a href="http://www.wordplaysound.com/skiboo-mandy-taggart/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Skiboo</span></a> out loud - and singing! Brave woman!<br />
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So, are you feeling inspired? Will you be setting up your own PWA?Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-84447003974608522072012-09-07T15:36:00.002+01:002012-09-07T15:36:50.927+01:00I knew I was going to love Hot Key Books...<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kTcH_eR2drI?rel=0" width="500"></iframe> ... when I saw this video. Because there is nothing worse than a bunch of luvvie types who take themselves too seriously :-D
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And know the best bit? Not only are they accepting submissions but they accept full manuscripts by email! Is your book ready? <a href="https://www.hotkeybooks.com/about" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Go for it</span></a>!Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-90128936128564092742012-09-06T22:38:00.000+01:002012-09-06T22:38:10.905+01:00It's all a bit exciting...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNM439lF0sWei11lFVZBrbQdNsW8R0QcT1XxQ9LxbSasLzFdwhoRAuhHuZBU7_rBeudOqPGwaq2KBWmWHaJ2CUXHIBmy819ALUt9pTFqQSHzoy6c-jYMeyZqXCkJ97N_KnNMQMw0RuKj0/s1600/busy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNM439lF0sWei11lFVZBrbQdNsW8R0QcT1XxQ9LxbSasLzFdwhoRAuhHuZBU7_rBeudOqPGwaq2KBWmWHaJ2CUXHIBmy819ALUt9pTFqQSHzoy6c-jYMeyZqXCkJ97N_KnNMQMw0RuKj0/s200/busy.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alorachistiakoff.com/2009/02/12/time-management-new-projects/busy/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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Just a quick hello after a madly busy few months. I'm very conscious of not updating the blog but hopefully you'll forgive me when you hear that so far this year we / I have...<br />
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a) renovated a house.<br />
b) moved into new house<br />
c) got my 3 book deal *faints*<br />
and finally... drum roll ...<br />
d) we are having a baby! Very soon! In a few weeks! *faints again*<br />
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I won't bore you with the details of the move, lots of you will have done it and know how stressful it is. We were looking for a house for a long time (as previously mentioned in <a href="http://debbiemccune.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/house-hunting.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">this post</span></a>) so it was great when we finally found a house with office space for two writers! It needed lots of work - but we're now at the 'picking curtains' stage, rather than the 're-wire and re-plumb' stage!<br />
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As for the book deal - well it's been interesting! Not least because up until now my two trusted readers have been my lovely agent <a href="http://www.aitkenalexander.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=85%3Agillierussell&Itemid=58" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Gillie</span></a> and my friend and writing mentor <a href="http://www.berniemcgill.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Bernie McGill</span></a>. Now I've had to expand the 'reading circle' to include all the lovely people at <a href="https://www.hotkeybooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Hot Key Books</span></a>, especially my editor <a href="https://www.hotkeybooks.com/about/staff" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Emily Thomas</span></a>. <br />
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It's always strange letting new people read your work. Writing comes from inside you so when someone reads it I always feel a bit exposed - like I've laid down a little piece of my soul for people to pet or spit upon as they choose! I'll be writing more in the blog about the whole editing process - as well as a rather fabulous group of writing ladies who have kept me sane through finishing the book, submitting it and dealing with the ups and downs of negotiations and edits. Forget the A-Team - they are the PWA! More on them soon...<br />
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And as for the baby bit... Well, I'll be able to tell you more about that soon enough. For now my stomach is moving from side to side Alien-style which is half-endearing and half-freaky. All tips for juggling newborns and writing gratefully received!<br />
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Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-43460459876625461152012-07-21T19:17:00.000+01:002012-10-28T20:10:40.462+00:00Some very exciting news! It's a deal!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA038MNb47l5bX4F7la9CoytRWFyqpG22eKmL4PfGNwyM3DYQCOkwDs6ZwP-v6S_3temCk0Q9PqZPbnpcS5LGL_TpwP_2xFAxrNydlqGs5_EboUdAedoJgj452YRCdrSL_k3Ypav0g958/s1600/champagne2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA038MNb47l5bX4F7la9CoytRWFyqpG22eKmL4PfGNwyM3DYQCOkwDs6ZwP-v6S_3temCk0Q9PqZPbnpcS5LGL_TpwP_2xFAxrNydlqGs5_EboUdAedoJgj452YRCdrSL_k3Ypav0g958/s320/champagne2.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://celebrateanddecorate.com/tuesday-tips-lets-toast-with-champagne/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You may have noticed the blog has been very, very quiet. That's because I had some very exciting but top secret news. I am over the moon to tell you that I have a 3 book deal with the fab <a href="http://www.hotkeybooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Hot Key Books</span></a>!<br />
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The book is called <em>Death & Co.</em> and tells the story of 15 year old Adam, a reluctant Luman - one of a special group of people charged with sending souls safely into the afterlife. Thing is, all Adam wants is to be <em>normal</em> - hang out with his friends, go to school - and if he's lucky eventually get to snog the lovely Melissa Morgan. Unfortunately Adam's family and the Luman world have other ideas...<br />
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I started this blog to keep track of the up and down road to getting published as a newbie author - and two years on I can finally crack open the champagne. I've been so touched by the comments and emails I've received here, especially because I have a habit of disappearing for long stretches - so thank you to all of you who read the blog and rooted for me over the last couple of years. <strong>I hope it will encourage you to know - no matter how tough the market is out there new authors are still getting published. <em>You</em> could be next!</strong><br />
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I'll keep you up to date but provisional publication date for <em>Death & Co.</em> is May 2013 worldwide - and I reckon I can sneak a few teaser extracts out before then!<br />
<br />Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-83648023214320013712012-02-17T22:44:00.002+00:002012-02-17T23:24:23.997+00:00Getting from notebook to novel - #6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bre1IgSCG6dSN-trcMPOFZLWuqN1mKx_2yZyeTq1PDmR6bc2pyXa4e_KnTRhrfT2yEzMif7V9N0BnHIa47fxVPyIi7IP-dIAG2K1AzC88wxyp18aB1jmqM-pRnF4EivpTPBW_gUAwLcr/s1600/red_pen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bre1IgSCG6dSN-trcMPOFZLWuqN1mKx_2yZyeTq1PDmR6bc2pyXa4e_KnTRhrfT2yEzMif7V9N0BnHIa47fxVPyIi7IP-dIAG2K1AzC88wxyp18aB1jmqM-pRnF4EivpTPBW_gUAwLcr/s200/red_pen.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>#6 - It's editing time. Get acquainted with your Inner Critic - and make sure she's a real b*tch!<br />
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So you've finished the book! The hours and hours hunched over the computer have finally paid off. Your story rocks, especially that neat little twist / devilish villain / saucy lurve scene (delete as appropriate). All you have to do now is have a quick read through, check for any outageous spolling mistaks (heh heh) and start sending it off to agents / editors / publishers.<br />
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Except you don't. <strong>This is the point where you will simultaneously become your own best friend <em>and</em> your own worst enemy.</strong> <strong>This is the point where you get out your manuscript, red pen and a notebook and begin the editing process.</strong><br />
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As ever I learned a lot from my writing Bible, Stephen King's <em>On Writing</em>. He suggests <strong>printing out the complete manuscript double-spaced and doing a read through with a notebook by your side.</strong> Changing words or phrases is easy - just write them straight in, making the most of your double spacing. When you notice something which needs more thought or which is causing conflict, King suggests making a squiggle in the margin and then writing a corresponding page-referenced memo into your notebook. For example, some of my notes for the new book included "p216 Check paddock location" and "p89 Check Chloe's age." <strong>They're not always deal breakers but the fine details which make your world believable and consistent - especially important in fantasy.</strong><br />
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It would be possible to write an entire book on editing, never mind a blog post - but one of the best pieces of advice I came across was to <strong>read your book as if it's your worst enemy reading it</strong>. Trust me, you'll soon spot the overuse of certain words (with <em>Watchers</em> it was a love affair with the word grimace, with the new book... I'm not sure yet...). On the other hand try not to lose the faith. Every writer has that experience of loving page 52, then reading it the next day with hatred in their heart. That's part of the process. The love will return - unless it genuinely does suck.<br />
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Anyway, I'm off to practise what I preach - wish me luck!Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-77327496903205504542012-01-22T21:45:00.003+00:002012-01-22T21:54:13.271+00:00Wondrous gadgets for writers #2 - The 'Freedom' Programme! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs91c9gSenRmDrqJYyWc-uLpzqxgE9mhvfLCI8KF0z-sfOF_OKc-MJGtLISfZfgP9NBaBGolJYxKCW8uOeQ-xpfxsoOG7fOB1oqN2ynEfElg5UGs8cbRVJoGKIzSprXBYV2Mkvl46vdO8/s1600/Distracted_Bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs91c9gSenRmDrqJYyWc-uLpzqxgE9mhvfLCI8KF0z-sfOF_OKc-MJGtLISfZfgP9NBaBGolJYxKCW8uOeQ-xpfxsoOG7fOB1oqN2ynEfElg5UGs8cbRVJoGKIzSprXBYV2Mkvl46vdO8/s200/Distracted_Bunny.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Distracted_Bunny.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong>Ever noticed how the more you have to do, the easier it is to get distracted?</strong> This is especially true for writers, who spend so much working time on the computer. And of course the computer means only one thing... THE INTERNET!!!<br />
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I'm not the first person (nor will I be the last) to find that <strong>the internet is a double-edged sword.</strong> For the current book it has been <strong>incredibly useful, especially for research</strong> (everything from suicide bombing to west African time zones, in case you're interested...). On the flip side, things like <strong>Twitter and Facebook can sap precious writing time.</strong> It is with some shame that I must confess to a love-hate relationship with a certain FB game...<br />
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Thankfully I'm not the only one - and here comes<strong><span style="color: purple;"> </span></strong><a href="http://macfreedom.com/testimonials/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: purple;">Freedom</span></strong></a> to the rescue! It's a programme designed for the weak-willed (i.e. the human race), whereby <strong>you voluntarily lock yourself off the internet for a set time period of your own choosing</strong>. I've found a two hour minimum helpful. <strong>To get on to the web in this time isn't impossible but it does mean restarting your computer</strong> - which is generally enough to dissuade the average bear.<br />
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If you're feeling bad about needing this - don't! The link above takes you to the testimonials page and you'll find you're in good company - everyone from Nick Hornby to Zadie Smith to Naomi Klein confesses to finding it a life-saver, especially when on a deadline. What's more, it's available for PC and Mac AND you can try it for free first. If you want to download the programme permanently it's only ten US Dollars. Just think how much more you'll earn when you get your first book advance*... <br />
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*(You'll be at least fifty pence better off, easily...)Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-434741784444948712012-01-08T17:59:00.000+00:002012-01-08T17:59:11.300+00:00Wondrous gadgets for writers #1 - The Echo Pen!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJU7JMjy94iICIxBqMVm9DGsAf1VQgxN5W_9wHKfXlIQJ5TufLNluSDUeltetlVZ7JP7VCNguRz8IuAFAQg_4p8QJlmGT5456cWoWgpWTZIsooDu4rU5DSiisGdh2FoGYtiHVxC6CcJgu/s1600/Echopen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJU7JMjy94iICIxBqMVm9DGsAf1VQgxN5W_9wHKfXlIQJ5TufLNluSDUeltetlVZ7JP7VCNguRz8IuAFAQg_4p8QJlmGT5456cWoWgpWTZIsooDu4rU5DSiisGdh2FoGYtiHVxC6CcJgu/s200/Echopen.jpg" width="200" /></a>As you've read previously I have been afflicted on occasion with computeritus, the bane of all writers at one time another. By computeritus I mean the various agonies caused by excessive typing - neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, finger pain, wrist pain etc etc...</div><br />
In this <a href="http://debbiemccune.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-old-school.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">post</span></a> I described one attempt to get round it which is working fairly well - writing by hand, then dictating the text using voice recognition software. However today I got the chance to use something I had only previously read about - the Echo Pen.<br />
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Essentially it writes like a normal pen but on special paper which means your notes can be uploaded directly to the computer by USB cable. Apparently there is also some way of converting your handwritten notes to text in Word - every writer's dream! That said, I'm not exactly famous for my copperplate handwriting...<br />
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If anyone has used one of these (or a rival brand) I'd love to hear your experiences! Is it genuinely useful - or just a gimmick?Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-40300037245304450262011-12-31T22:39:00.002+00:002011-12-31T22:42:38.860+00:00A writer's resolution...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jf_G0eUw3Uw/Tv-M1SjaApI/AAAAAAAAATY/7v_XR4j5YII/s1600/Writer%2527s+resolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jf_G0eUw3Uw/Tv-M1SjaApI/AAAAAAAAATY/7v_XR4j5YII/s320/Writer%2527s+resolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy this <a href="http://www.signals.com/signals/T-Shirts-Sweatshirts_1CA/Item_Even-If-Its-Crap-Just-Get-It-On-The-Page-Shirts_HL8941G_ps_cti-1CA.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">here</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> Another year has come and gone - and it's that time when you take stock of what you've done in the last 12 months... <br />
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I'm pretty happy with what I achieved in 2011. I <strong>do</strong> wish I had finished the new book but the end is definitely in sight - a couple of chapters away and of course the re-drafts.<br />
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So with that in mind this t-shirt slogan will be my mantra for the next 12 months. If you're stuck, feel free to make it yours too. Hell, you can even buy the t-shirt!<br />
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Happy New Year and good luck with your own writing. I have a good feeling about 2012...Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-28489748719405281562011-12-21T20:46:00.001+00:002011-12-21T20:50:44.414+00:00I can't wait for... The Hunger Games<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="309" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OgssLmsOa2s?rel=0" width="550"></iframe>Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-40380366598179882592011-12-16T23:05:00.000+00:002011-12-16T23:05:34.672+00:00Is it just me...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRM0T1_4neJ215d4mZwyWCap0eOT7Yai3XqFqymDoQNwgNMAiP5WMFtwa4UI3qrITPk2x_KIyL4S9rhr80GVR3qyoCCjcJjBdNTlzCGUVREeIvwSajGIqysjAG5XaVJz7S-VnOK_L4fxu/s1600/Deviant+hoodie+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRM0T1_4neJ215d4mZwyWCap0eOT7Yai3XqFqymDoQNwgNMAiP5WMFtwa4UI3qrITPk2x_KIyL4S9rhr80GVR3qyoCCjcJjBdNTlzCGUVREeIvwSajGIqysjAG5XaVJz7S-VnOK_L4fxu/s200/Deviant+hoodie+crop.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy this <a href="http://deviantwear.deviantart.com/art/DVNT-270586734" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">here</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> ...or is this top really cool? It's from the brilliant Deviant Art <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">website</span></a>, where artists from all over the world can showcase their work. Some of the pieces can be bought as prints or downloads but a few can be bought as gifts, including this top - for all the writers!<br />
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If this was a hoodie I would totally be buying it...Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2575802457148929513.post-18627773316763032382011-12-15T23:34:00.003+00:002011-12-15T23:43:34.781+00:00How much is *too* much??? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ_uzIRftEvLsWXw8hfFtyisIEfoE3STApsWUQdmgxEeYlqI430A87DZc7pAF_xLDnRhkEkcFwO3zUXFafe6hrQ5LKT4a4tTWsJ3O8C7t5ftNXcXsk_Rj0fUIFeWjK5HLc0Leh_v1unDp/s1600/Shocked_Supersize_Emoticon_by_xXxanimeninaxXx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQ_uzIRftEvLsWXw8hfFtyisIEfoE3STApsWUQdmgxEeYlqI430A87DZc7pAF_xLDnRhkEkcFwO3zUXFafe6hrQ5LKT4a4tTWsJ3O8C7t5ftNXcXsk_Rj0fUIFeWjK5HLc0Leh_v1unDp/s200/Shocked_Supersize_Emoticon_by_xXxanimeninaxXx.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://xxxanimeninaxxx.deviantart.com/art/Shocked-Supersize-Emoticon-147249167" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table> Work on the new book is coming along nicely and the end is definitely within sight! But as I reach the final chapters I'm confronted again with the question: how much is *too* much for a book aimed at 11-14 year olds?<br />
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I work with tweens and teens so I'm under no illusions about the kinds of things they're involved in. Life just keeps getting more and more complicated in a world where change seems to happen overnight.<br />
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My last chapters involve some fairly drastic twists and turns - a night out which ends with a spiked drink, serious humiliation and the inevitable mobile phone video. Bad as this seems, it pales beside the finale - an act of terrorism with devastating consequences. <br />
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In the middle of all this is my hero, a teenage boy called Adam from a rather unusual family. He's smart and funny and a little bit geeky. He's confronted daily with all sorts of life and death issues when all he really wants is a normal life.<br />
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Tween and teen fiction can be a mixed bag - either trying to protect young people or going to the other extreme; in-yer-face 'issues' or gore. I'm constantly amazed and humbled by the challenges life throws at some teenagers and the grace with which so many acquit themselves. In the end most teenagers, like Adam, are simply trying to find their place in the world and a way of making sense of the madness. <br />
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So maybe the writer's job is to be honest and unflinching - as long as it's not all doom and gloom. A little bit of humour and escapism goes a long way towards easing the pain - in books as in life!Debbie McCune *Notebook to Novel*http://www.blogger.com/profile/14683696656240483399noreply@blogger.com3