Monday 11 March 2024

Food in my Peace Child Series


Before I started writing the Peace Child books I spent many months thinking about the world I was creating. And as ever, once I started writing I found there were other things I needed to think about

Food of course is important and I needed to work out how the people in this world obtain it.

The first story begins on our own planet Earth, now called Terrestra. The planet is surrounded by a poison cloud and all inhabitants have to live underground. Vegetation still exists on the surface and as the poison cloud lifts things return to normal. Terrestrans have been able to grow crops underground and so much of this is food as we know it though fusion has become even more common: there are Zones not nations on Terrestra.

Humans still prepare food, if they want to, and certainly humans oversee huge commercial kitchens. However, even the poorest home has a house droid that helps to prepare meals.

On Zandra, where Peace Child Kaleem spends a lot of his time, food production is more difficult and agriculture is tricky. Again, humans still prepare food, but it often can just be dialled up and appears in a special drawer in the kitchen.  

Alcoholic drinks on Terrestra are all based on different flavours of what they call nectar whereas on Zandra they have a kind of beer called frega.

Coffee and tea as we know it still exist but on Zandra there is also a drink known as chufa. It is made from a ground up nut and is creamy in texture and a little bitter in taste. It is a strong stimulant.   

The Terrestrans have now colonised many planets and have met some other races. So the variety of foods is impressive. Seven-year-old Erik, Kaleem’s son in my work in progress, demands a puna bird omelette. This meat is very strong-tasting and he really can’t digest it.  As it’s one of Kaleem’s favourites Erik really wants to eat it. Contrast this with his friend, Raquella, the daughter to the president of the Purple Pirates, delighting in being offered a portion of meat balls with pasta and tomato sauce.

The Purple Pirates are nomadic. Their home planet has died and they are continuously travelling through space. They have learnt to grow all that they need on their space craft. But the vehicles are beginning to fail so they force their way on to Zandra. They have chosen this planet because the people there are so skilled in producing crops. Can the Zandrians learn from them?

Clementines become important in books four, five and six. A family that become successful in farming them set up an order that has had influence throughout the universe.

Food doesn’t dominate in my series but it is there and we have to remember that all of the characters need nourishment even if we don’t make that part of the story.

And even though some of these items may sound quite exotic, I’m still really writing about what I know. Yes, the “what if” questions is there. I find the answer by relating what is happening here to my own experience.                     

Sunday 10 March 2024

Yvonne Walus tells us about her latest book



Tell me about your book.

A: Hello Gill, thank you so much  for featuring me on my blog. My name is Yvonne Walus (www.yvonnewalus.com), and my latest book is a domestic suspense thriller, The Wrong Girl, published by Sands Press in March 2024.

Q: Tell us about your research for this book.
A: Hmm, let's see. The book is set in a fictional boarding school north of Auckland, New Zealand, not too far away from where I live, so that part was easy. One of the protagonists is a teenager, and I spent quite a bit of time convincing my two children and their friends to talk to me about their issues - that was the tricky part. I have a small subplot about growing cannabis, and research, dear readers, I performed using the omniscient Google. Fun fact: did you know that while some cannabis leaves have more fingers than others, it's actually the flower part of the plant that people smoke? Finally, a huge shout out to the New Zealand Police who were kind enough to talk to me about hierarchies, uniforms and police vehicles - Andrew Fabish, you're a star!

Q: What inspired you to write this?
A: I had a few goals when writing this book. First of all, I was intrigued by the idea of a school that does things the old-fashioned way in today's world: no Chat GPT, no Internet, no smart phones. Also, with so much discussion around gender identity, it felt important to explore what it meant for a teenager trying to make sense of all the labels and the pressure to adopt a label. Finally, as with all my books, I wanted to write about strong women in a world that is still shaped by masculine values.

Q: What's next?
A: I'm busy writing the next book in the series, also featuring police detective Zero Zimmerman, and also set in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand. My readers tell me that reading my books is the next best thing to flying over and experiencing the country in person. 

Q: How can we get a copy of the book?

Q: Do you have any early book reviews that you can share with us?
A: 
  • “Set at an exclusive New Zealand boarding school, THE WRONG GIRL by Yvonne Eve Walus takes readers deep into a world where nothing is as it seems, and everyone has something to hide. Walus’s fascinating setting, twisty plot, and complicated characters make this book a must-read.” – Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER
  • "Yvonne Walus’s latest thriller is a clever, fast-paced story about identity, temptation, and deceit. The Wrong Girl has everything: a great plot, a colourful cast of characters, an intriguing setting. A real page-turner." ~ Rose Carlyle, author of international bestseller "The girl in the mirror"
  • "Intricately plotted and well-written, THE WRONG GIRL is a fascinating take on a world where appearances can be deceiving, everyone is up to something, and only Constable Zero Zimmerman, in the middle of a messy mix of her own personal problems, can sort out what's true." ~ Ellen Baker, author of "Keeping the house", "I gave my heart to know this" and "The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson"
Find on you local Amazon 
Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay may go to Bridge House publishing.  

Thursday 7 March 2024

News 7 March 2024

 

Holidays? 

 


Martin and I have just come back from a few days in South Wales, from Laugharne or Talacharn if you wish to be precise.  What an inspiring place for a writer. And isn’t this in fact Milkwood or Under Milkwood? Very close to where we stayed you can see the boat house where Dylan Thomas lived and the view from his writing shed. From our apartment at the Dylan Coastal Resort you become mesmerised by watching the tide go in and out of the estuary.

We’ve been there several times and nearly always had an adventure there:

·         It snowed heavily enough a couple of times to keep us on the site. 

·         We took the park and ride bus into Carmarthen one time and were stranded there when the return bus didn’t turn up.

·         One year our lodge was flooded on our last night there

·          Then there was the year of the broken arm and a four night stay in Carmarthen hospital.

This time it was relatively quiet but the trip home was just one traffic jam after another.

Holidays are different now from how they used to be before I gave up the day job.  We still go out and visit interesting places. We spend a lot more time together. We have a few nice meals. I read more and ignore more emails.

It used to be the time when I dreamed about being a writer. These days I don’t dream but I still find time for writing on holiday.

The change is still good but seriously I could do without the hassle of the journey and the packing.

We came back to a very cold house and our hot water stopped working for a short while. Touch wood – it’s sorted out now.   

 

 

Writing news



I’m still working on edits of Peace Child 6. I’ve just finished looking at whether cause and effect are interacting correctly.

I’m now offering Girl in a Smart Uniform on Kofi: pay what you like.  You will find it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/29884efcb0

My review of Animal Farm at the Octagon Bolton is on Talking about My Generation https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-animal-farm-the-octagon-theatre-bolton/   

Two of my stories have been accepted for publication this month.  You can read about one of them here. https://www.irelandwritingretreat.com/post/finalists-and-winners-of-change

It was really bizarre with ‘The Old Boots’. At first I couldn't remember which story this was. Then I couldn't find it in my submissions list. Yet I'm normally fastidious in keeping records. Four bizarre things had happened:
1. I'd miss-filed it as a short story instead of as a piece of flash fiction.
2. I'd changed the title but not the file-name.
3. I'd only filed it once instead of twice (memory stick and hard drive); it was only on the hard drive but I'd only looked on the memory stick at first.
4. I'd made no record of where I'd sent it.
So, so out of character! Well I've found it now and corrected all of the record-keeping mistakes.

I think we had a power cut at the time that this was submitted.

I actually thought at first it was a story I’ve called ‘The Rescue’ which starts off with young John putting on his boots. Ironically, that is the second one that was accepted just this week!    

You can hear me talking about The House of Clementine, Peace Child 4, which is out any moment now, on Hannah’s Bookshelf: https://www.mixcloud.com/Hannahs_Bookshelf/hannahs-bookshelf-with-special-guests-isabelle-byrne-and-gill-james-02032024/

Actually, the e-book is out already: https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Clementine-Peace-Child-Book-ebook/dp/B0CV7ZJKLM Naturally I’ll be very grateful for any reviews.  

On My Blog

This moth I’ve talked about some of the things I like.  You can read about my choice in movies: Movie Fun – five movies I’ve enjoyed and in books: I Love Books . It’s all to do with story, isn’t it?

 

 The Young Person’s Library



In the library this month: Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang . This is a picture book that will make you hungry.  

You may notice the library looking a little bare.  All of the book information is still there, but the pictures have gone and so have the links to Amazon. I’m gradually restoring all of this but it will take a while. I do use an Amazon affiliate link, so if you click through I sometimes get a few pence out of what you pay.  Slightly less goes to Amazon. Amazon has changed the way it displays those links. Many people are very upset about this. It’s creating a lot of extra work and for some people losing them income. I’m taking my time in repairing the entries. And of course, there is a Kofi button so you can always shout me the price of a cup of coffee if you appreciate the work I’m doing there.        

 

Recommended read



The month I’m recommending Jessamine by Shani Strurthers.

Jessamin loses her husband in a tragic accident for which she blames herself. Will she ever come to terms with his death?

James stays with her and they still talk to each other.  Jessamin moves to Scotland to escape the hustle and bustle of Brighton.  She wants to live in peace and enjoy still being with James. However, life takes over. She becomes part of the community and helps an old man and his son deal with their own ghosts. Can she deal with her own? Are the ghosts real or are they in the minds of the haunted?

Yes, Jessamine is a story of the supernatural and that is what Shani Struther specialises in. I first got to know Struthers’ work when we were both published by Crooked Cat. Out of loyalty to my publisher I bought all of the books that appealed.  However I bought this one because another of her books had delighted me.  Find out more here.          

Sample pages

This replaces my previous giveaways. If you like what you’re reading you can click through and find out ways of buying the book. However, I’m still happy to give you a free copy if you’re strapped for cash and / or you’re willing to review.  Just contact me.  

This month I’m offering Clara’s Story



8 October 1918, Berlin: The end of a phase

Clara shuddered. It was one of those strange uncontrollable little movements. Her mother used to say it meant someone was walking over your grave. What did that mean, actually though? They were walking over where you were going to be buried? How would you know now? It was nonsense really but she had no better or even any other explanation for it. It wasn’t as if it was cold in the kitchen: the Kackelofen was lit and the sun was streaming through the window.

She put the rest of yesterday’s birthday cake away. Ernst had insisted she should celebrate her birthday despite his illness. She’d baked one of her special cheesecakes but nobody had had much appetite for it. It would keep a few days, she guessed. Perhaps when he was feeling better they would all appreciate it more.

 She looked at the clock. He should have called for his tea by now. It was half an hour past the normal time. She’d looked in on him earlier. He’d been sound asleep. Doctor Friedrich had said it was good to let him sleep. Perhaps she should go and look in on him again.

Read more

 

 

The Schellberg Project

The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.  They may also be interesting for other readers of historical fiction.

I’ve added a couple of posts this month.

I discuss some modern day problems that echo what happened in that era in Pogroms, asylum seekers, happiness seekers Did George Orwell actually predict the Holocaust? See my discussion: Stalin, Animal Farm, George Orwell and the Holocaust

 

 

 

Some notes about my newsletters and blogs

They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they all do.

 

Bridge House Authors For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit, Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up here.

 

The Bridgetown  Café Bookshop where you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit, Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.  Visit us here.     

 

Chapeltown Books News about our books. Sign up here.

 

The Creative Café Project News about the project and CaféLit – for the consumer rather than for the producer.  Sign up here.   

 

Gill’s News: News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it here.   

 

Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher News about conferences and workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up here.  

 

Red Telephone Books News about our books and our authors. Sign up here.

 

A Publisher’s Perspective Here I and some other editors blog as a publisher. Access this here.   

 

The Creative Café Project Listings and reviews of creative cafés. See them here.   

 

CaféLit Stories Find these here

 

Gill James Writer All about writing and about my books. View this here.

 

Gill’s Recommended Reads Find information here about books that have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve highlighted in this newsletter.    

 

Gill’s Sample Fiction Read some of my fiction here.

 

The House on Schellberg Street All about my Schellberg project. Read it here.

 

Writing Teacher All about teaching creative writing.  Some creative writing exercises. Access this here.  I also invite other writers to provide prompts and work for critique.     

 

Books Books Books Weekly offers on our books and news of new books. Find them here. 

 

The Young Person’s Library The children’s book catalogue. Access it here.

 

Fair Submissions  Find it here.   

Opportunities for writers are added several times a day. Roughly once a month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up here.  

Happy reading and writing.

 

 

Sunday 18 February 2024

I Love Books


 

Of course I do. I became a writer because I love reading. I always have a book on the go and I read even more when I’m on holiday. I’ve signed up for the Good Reads challenge and I’m three books ahead.

As you may already know I keep another blog about books I recommend. Each month I nominate the book I’ve enjoyed the most as my recommended read.

Ask me today what’s the best book ever and I’ll say one thing; I’ll probably say something totally different another day.

So, I thought I might try and analyse which sort of books I’ve enjoyed reading and try and work out why.

I read a lot of children’s book, but I particularly enjoy reading ones written for young adults and teen and for fairly fluent readers at the top end of primary school. I used to be a high school teaches so I guess that makes sense of the teen and YA books, and of course I’ve written a few for them. I like owning picture books because they usually look so gorgeous and are often so tactile. Having an MA in Writing for Children and being a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and CWIG (Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group – within the Society of Authors) means I’ve become quite knowledgeable about children’s books.

I enjoy historical novels, especially those set around World War II. Again, I write about that period and I’m not afraid to address the Holocaust.

Some classic appeal to me, and two years ago on holiday I read a lot of John Steinbeck. I also like Charles Dickens.

I’m a member of a reading group and this means I often read some newish releases, most of which I enjoy.

I’ve always been a fan of Maeve Binchy.  We were fortunate enough to holiday in her home village one year.  I could live there and write, I’m sure. Binchy is neither literary nor genre. Her stories are usually about women but they’re not quite the sort of story you see in women’s magazines. Will I ever be as well received as she is?

I’m also quite keen on Margaret Attwood.

I quite like memoir as long at the person who is writing is interesting enough.

I’m not too know-it-all; I still enjoy reading books on writers’ craft.  

I like to support my writing friends and people I’ve published. Generally, if they let me know about a publication I’ll buy it and read it.     

Some thrillers and detective stories are fine.

I’m a real sucker for a good Christmas story and will even read Chick-lit for this season. However, I can’t take too much Chick-lit.

I’m interested as well in book about physics – as long as they’re easy enough to understand.  

I’ll dip into the Booker short list though sometimes I’ve found them a little demanding. Then again, even though I enjoy a really relaxing book I also like to be challenged.

Philosophy appeals as well – I like to be invited to think.

I like writing and reading about near futures.

Occasionally I read in other languages- French, German or Spanish.       

Take a look at my Recommended Reads https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/                        

 

Tuesday 6 February 2024

News 6 February 2024

 


Coming up

The Talking about My Generation team met yesterday and I now find myself with a heap of interesting writing projects:

·         One about each of my U3A groups: French, German Spanish and of course, Creative Writing. These well be personal glances but will also give practical information about how to get involved. They will also offer ideas for other people’s groups. 

·         An account about my choir.

·         Some more guided creative writing exercises about interesting local places

·         Working with another reporter on an article on future-proofing your home and life: lasting power of attorney, stair lifts, choosing a care home, knowing how to finance getting old  - not as depressing as you may think: knowledge is power.

·         Then I also have to look forward to my final Schellberg novel, my final Peace Child novel and a three part family saga.

·         And all of the short stories, blog posts and newsletters like this of course.

It’s good to be busy.     

 

Writing news

I’m getting though the edits on with Peace Child 6. I’ve just finished looking at whether the characters are rounded and consistent.

My article on Talking about My Generation: https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/hackers-and-identify-theft-how-common-is-it/ This is about what happens when hackers get into big organisations and access our personal details. I include several case studies, two of which have impacted on me: The British Library and Capita that administers my university pension.    

I’ve also written a review of a super play that we saw at our local Whitefield Garrick: https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-be-my-baby-at-the-whitefield-garrick/  The play is set in 1964 and is very much of that time. It was first produced in 1998.

My story The Magic of Light and Shadow  is now available on Medium. It is a folk / fairy tale with an element of the grass being greener on the other side.

You can now set your own price for my first collection of short stories, My Daily Bread, on Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/s/2a1eb7c6d3  

 

On My Blog

Please enjoy my interview with Georgina Wright who tells us about her new book. See what she says here. If this has piqued your interest you might be tempted to join our Zoom event on 22 February 7 pm where Georgina talks some more about the book and the issues it raises.  Here is the invite:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157

What is the best advice you have ever been given about writing? Here is mine: https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/the-best-writing-tip-ive-ever-received.html

 

And what do you enjoy about the writing life?  Here is my list: https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/these-are-my-favourite-things-about.html

 

The Young Person’s Library

Again, no new books added this month I’m afraid and I’m afraid a whole heap of work created on this site now because of the inexplicable actions of Amazon. Even so, I must get back to reading more children’s books again.   

 

Recommended read 


 

So, this month I’m recommending: The Porcelain Maker of Dachau  Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay may go to Bridge House publishing.   

Two stories intertwine: that of the romance between Jewish architect Max and ‘degenerate’ artist Bettina and that of her daughter Clara who after her mother’s death seeks to find out more about her father.

We know that Clara and Bettina survive so our question is not what happened but how did they manage that? Why did they come to England?  How did they get there? Who is Erza? How does this avant-garde artist reconcile herself to the Nazi era? How does Max, an architect, become a porcelain maker?

The text isn’t perfect. In the opening chapters I found some odd expression.  I’m not sure if it continued. If it did I stopped noticing. I was soon absorbed in the plot. There is also some odd formatting in some text in italics. I suspect this may be an Amazon rather than a publisher or author problem. 

Sarah Freethy is an author I shall certainly read again. She keeps us guessing about The Porcelain maker of Dachau.       

  

Sample pages

This replaces my previous giveaways. If you like what you’re reading you can click through and find out ways of buying the book. However, I’m still happy to give you a free copy if you’re strapped for cash and / or you’re willing to review.  Just contact me.  

This month I’m offering So Now You’re Published, What Next? This is my manual for newly published writers.


Introduction

At a recent meeting of the Society of Authors Joanne Harris told how, when her first book was published, she asked the publishers if there was a marketing budget.

"We might run to a book of second class stamps," was the reply.

So, she made her own posters and hawked them around local libraries and bookshops. She seems to have succeeded.

Chances are if you're published by the small press your publisher won't have a lot of time and certainly won't have much budget to promote your book. In fact, though, if you're published by one of the Big Five, they'll hardly have any more time or money though they may have a little more influence.  So the habits and routines described here are good to get into anyway. It should all become easy and should not detract from the main task in hand: becoming a great writer.

Read more here       

 

The Schellberg Project

The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.  They may also be interesting for other readers of historical fiction.

I’ve added a couple of posts this month.

One book review:

Max Hermann Maier:In uns verwoben, tief and wunderbar –Erinnerungen an Deutschland This is a rather dry text but nevertheless interesting and all the more so because Maier, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, knew some people that we know.

The Nazi Attitude to Art looks briefly at ‘degenerate’ art and what the Nazis regarded as good art,  how art was stolen  and the influence and decline of the Bauhaus. Naturally this only scratches the surface.   

  

 

Some notes about my newsletters and blogs

They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they all do.

 

Bridge House Authors For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit, Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up here.

 

The Bridgetown  Café Bookshop where you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit, Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.  Visit us here.     

 

Chapeltown Books News about our books. Sign up here.

 

The Creative Café Project News about the project and CaféLit – for the consumer rather than for the producer.  Sign up here.   

 

Gill’s News: News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it here.   

 

Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher News about conferences and workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up here.  

 

Red Telephone Books News about our books and our authors. Sign up here.

 

A Publisher’s Perspective Here I and some other editors blog as a publisher. Access this here.   

 

The Creative Café Project Listings and reviews of creative cafés. See them here.   

 

CaféLit Stories Find these here

 

Gill James Writer All about writing and about my books. View this here.

 

Gill’s Recommended Reads Find information here about books that have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve highlighted in this newsletter.    

 

Gill’s Sample Fiction Read some of my fiction here.

 

The House on Schellberg Street All about my Schellberg project. Read it here.

 

Writing Teacher All about teaching creative writing.  Some creative writing exercises. Access this here.  I also invite other writers to provide prompts and work for critique.     

 

Books Books Books Weekly offers on our books and news of new books. Find them here. 

 

The Young Person’s Library The children’s book catalogue. Access it here.

 

Fair Submissions  Find it here.   

Opportunities for writers are added several times a day. Roughly once a month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up here.  

Happy reading and writing.