Dawn talks to me about her latest 'Chronicles' book, The Post Box Topper Chronicles

 

 

 

This is now the fourth in your ‘Chronicles’ series. Why did you start writing about these colourful characters?

I saw my first post box topper a few years ago in my hometown. It was a celebration of the American artist, Bob Ross. I was so impressed that I detoured regularly to pass the post box to see if whoever had created the topper did another. A few weeks later, I was pleased to see a Christmas-themed topper, and that’s what gave me the idea of writing a short story. First, I tried to imagine a group of people who knitted post box toppers, and the problems associated with designing and then knitting them. The story was set in a fictional village, and I came up with the Creaping Bottom Post Box Topper Society. I’d only intended to write one short story, but I enjoyed the characters so much, I thought I’d write another one for January. And then – as has happened so often in the past – I wondered if I could write another story… Eventually, I decided to write one for each month, concluding with a spectacular Christmas-themed post box topper, which was nothing like the disaster the club had created the previous December.

 

 

These stories have appeared first of all as a CafeLit serial. Did you find that useful? 

Yes. It made me more disciplined in my writing because I wanted to write a story in which Vera Twinge and the club members made a topper for each month. The stories, therefore, were time-sensitive. As soon as one story was accepted by CafeLit, I had to write the next or the Creaping Bottom post box toppers wouldn’t have agreed with the month in which the story was published.

 

As you wrote this particular story, did you come across some actual post box toppers? 

Yes, I look out for them now and am thrilled when I see a new one. The last one I saw had tiny solar panels, and it occurred to me that reality was catching up with the ridiculous creations the members come up with in my stories! I think my favourite topper in my book was November’s when the club celebrated International Creaping Bottom Day. They discovered the history of Creaping Bottom and the tragic end of Sir Oswald Bottom and his wife, Lady Bertha.

 

What sort of research did you have to do for this book?

I didn’t carry out any research although I follow post box topper groups on Facebook and there are often some beauties on there. But as I was thinking up each post box topper, I tried to use my imagination to come up with something that was slightly off the scale, rather than realistic! I particularly like the Shoot Chutes in September’s topper that commemorates the fictional sci-fi television series, ‘Space Base’.

 

Do you know of a knit and natter group? 

No, I don’t, although when I was being interviewed on air by Jacqui James of Basildon Hospital Radio, her other guest was Linda Catling, a lady who knits post box toppers, and it was fascinating to talk to her. At the time, I was still in the middle of writing the stories, but I’ll make sure both Linda and Jacqui get a copy of ‘The Post Box Topper Chronicles’. It would be interesting to hear what someone who produces them thinks of my stories!

 

What about the cafe? Is this like any you know?

No, which is a shame because I think a café like Bonzer Buns would be a lot of fun! Although I’m not sure anyone other than Beryl could create a new Cake of the Day each day for a year, but it was fun thinking up new names for cakes that included Australian towns and cities, such as Canberra Cupcakes and Adelaide Angel Cake. If I did more baking, it might be interesting to make up recipes to go with each of the Cakes of the Day mentioned in the book. Beryl, the café’s owner, isn’t like anyone I know – she’s ambitious, slightly ruthless and very single-minded, but with her energy and drive, she often makes things happen – usually to her advantage. The other character I like who works in the café is Effie Wiggins, the cleaner who is obsessed with cleanliness. She carries her cleaning tools in a golf-caddy-style holder and refers to them as her WOMD – Weapons of Mess Destruction. She’s not only determined to rid the world of dust and spider’s webs, but she also wants to make Creaping Bottom a mass murderer-free zone.

 

Can we expect another ‘Chronicles’ book in the future? 

I’m currently writing a few stories that revolve around the sighting of an exotic stranger in a suburban garden. The trouble is, I have never planned a Chronicles book in advance, so I never had an ending in mind. I have a few ideas for who the stranger is and what he’s doing in the garden, but nothing has been decided yet. I hope I can come up with something believable. So far, there are five stories on the CafeLit site, and you can find ‘Elsie’s Story’, the fifth one, here with links to the previous stories https://www.cafelitmagazine.uk/2024/07/elsies-story-by-dawn-knox-tea-and-buns.html

If the characters in a short story appeal to me, I often write more. Usually, in the first story, I have a character or event that needs explaining by the end of the book. In The Post Box Topper Chronicles, the ‘difficult’ character is the grumpy A. Godbin. I must admit, I wondered how I was going to get around the identity of that character! Hopefully, I achieved it in an interesting way that didn’t stretch the imagination too far!

But I so love the Creaping Bottom characters, I’ve already written a prequel which is available in the reader magnet on my website https://dawnknox.com and a sequel which will be published on the CafeLit site on 01 August 2024. So, it’s possible, I might write more stories with those characters. If you sign up for my email newsletter, the reader magnet is free, and it also contains stories from the other Chronicles Chronicles books.

 

Do you have any other news about your writing? Forthcoming publications or events? 

I’ve been working hard on lots of projects, and I have several books coming out soon. My Weekly Magazine is publishing another of my romances as a pocket novel on 15 August 2024. This is the first time I’ve set a story in the 1970s and I’ve just finished writing another one set in 1980. I also have a variety of short stories that have been accepted by My Weekly and The People’s Friend but are yet to be published.

Second, I’ve put together one hundred drabbles in a book that I’ve entitled ‘A Splash of Short Stories’, and have included stories, fractured fairytales, random thoughts and observations – all containing exactly 100 words. Several of those stories have appeared on CafeLit in the past.

Third, I also have two new World War Two romances coming out shortly. They will be numbers three and four in the ‘Heart of Plotlands’ series. I’ve just had new covers designed for the first two in the series, ‘A Cottage in Plotlands’ and ‘A Folly in Plotlands’ and the next two covers will be designed in a similar style. They will be ‘A Canary Girl in Plotlands’ and ‘A Reunion in Plotlands’.

And finally, my audiobook narrator, Abigail Langham, is about to start work on the last book in the ‘Lady Amelia’ series, the other five are already out in audiobook. John Guest has narrated ‘The Macaroon Chronicles’ in his own inimitable style! That will be out shortly, published by Chapeltown.

 

Buy ‘The Post Box Topper Chronicles’ here on Amazon https://mybook.to/PostboxTopper  or here on Bridgetown Café online bookshop https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2024/07/the-post-box-topper-chroincles.html

Buy ‘A Cottage in Plotlands’ here https://mybook.to/ACottageInPlotlands

‘A Folly in Plotlands’ here https://mybook.to/AFollyInPlotlands

Today Dawn Knox talks about her involvement with CafeLit

 

What inspired you to write this story / these stories?

 

‘Back to Normal’ was obviously inspired by the Covid pandemic and the emergence from lockdown. It’s how I imagine I might have returned to work after the world started to return to something approaching normalcy. I say ‘imagine’ because I’ve never worked in an office – in fact, I am retired and no longer work for anyone!

‘Fabulous Fairytale Footwear’ was one of several drabbles (100-word stories) that I wrote loosely based on well-known fairy tales. Strictly speaking, my retellings are fractured fairy tales because they’ve been changed or told from an unexpected point of view. One day, when I have the time, I hope to put together a book of 100 fractured fairy tales in 100 words, although I still have a few more to write! You can find several of my fractured fairy tale drabbles on CafeLit.

 

 

How did you get to find out about CafeLit?

I first heard of CafeLit almost ten years ago and interestingly, that was where I was first introduced to the idea of 100-word stories (drabbles). I loved the challenge of telling a tale in so few words. To my surprise, my first submission was accepted and published on 8^th October 2014. It was called ‘The Betrayal’. Since then, I’ve written many more drabbles and also several series of short stories that Gill James has compiled into books, such as ‘Extraordinary’, and my three ‘Chronicles Chronicles’ books – ‘The Basilwade Chronicles’, ‘The Macaroon Chronicles’ and ‘The Crispin Chronicles’.

 

Do you enjoy reading short stories? What’s special / important about them?

Yes, I like short stories. I love being able to read the entire thing in one go, rather than having to break off and come back later to find out how the story finishes, such as happens with a novel-length story.

 

Do you know of any creative cafes? (follow the link below to find out what a creative café is)

Yes, I know Around the Clock in Whitstable, Kent http://www.creativecafeproject.org/search/label/Around%20the%20Clock It belongs to the son and daughter-in-law of my fellow writer, Colin Payn with whom I’ve co-written a cli-fi book called ‘The Future Brokers’. There are several of our own individual books in the café, including my Chronicles Chronicles books

 

Tell us a little more about your writing.

 I have three main interests in writing. I’ve written several historical romances as well as serious historical stories set during World War One. My particular interests lie in the early colonisation of Australia, as well as events during World War One and Two.

But sometimes, I like to indulge in a little silliness and write quirky stories that hopefully readers find humorous! The ‘Chronicles Chronicles’ are such stories. I’m currently writing a series of short stories that have been published on CafeLit about a whacky Post Box Topper Society in the fictional town of Creaping Bottom, (I’m sure you guessed that was a fictional town from its name!) So far, the members have encountered what appears to be an alien abduction, a serial killer, a serial complainer, revenge haircuts and marauding squirrels. You can find the latest story here https://www.cafelitmagazine.uk/2023/07/the-post-box-topper-animal-extravaganza.html with links to the previous stories at the bottom of the post. There’s a new Star Trek-themed story out shortly on CafeLit.

Dawn’s three books in the ‘Chronicles Chronicles’ series are ‘The Basilwade Chronicles’, ‘The Macaroon Chronicles’ and ‘The Crispin Chronicles’ published by Chapeltown Publishing. Another book, ‘Extraordinary’ is a collection of speculative fiction short stories – some light, some darker.

You can sign up for her newsletter with free stories to download here on her blog https://dawnknox.com

Find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunriseCalls

Amazon Author: http://mybook.to/DawnKnox

 

The Big Book of Prompts - Dawn Knox talks to me about Writing Prompts today.

 

Do you use writing prompts yourself? 

I never have a problem finding ideas to write about. The problem I have is finding the time to write about all the ideas I’ve got! So, no, I don’t deliberately use prepared writing prompts. However, there have been several occasions when I have used them, and the consequences have been quite surprising. Each one has resulted in a book – The Basilwade Chronicles, The Macaroon Chronicles and The Crispin Chronicles. I’ve just embarked on a new set of short stories about the members of a zany club who make post box toppers and I suppose they all started from having seen one of the amazing, knitted toppers in my town. So, I rarely search for writing prompts, but they certainly find me.

 

What are the advantages of using prompts such as those included in the books?  

 On the occasions when I have used writing prompts such as when they’ve been set as a task in one of my writing groups, I’ve found the resulting story is something I would never have come up with on my own. Before I start a story, I usually like to have the beginning and end sorted out but with a writing prompt, I’m more likely to ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ and not worry that I might ‘write myself into a corner’. I suppose at the moment, I’m doing that with my post box topper society stories. In the first story, I set up a ‘villain’ who is believed to be sabotaging the toppers. At first, I had absolutely no idea who he or she might be, but if I’m going to carry on, I need to have an identity for the mysterious A. Godbin, who is quick to complain via email! Have I given them an identity yet? Watch this space!

 

Where else do you find prompts from? 

 Anywhere and everywhere! An overheard snatch of conversation, an unusual item in a news report, a bizarre or touching historical story, or interesting photographs. There are too many prompts and not enough time to take advantage of them all!

 

 

Have you a prompt for today? 

 If anyone is lacking inspiration, here’s a photo I took in a churchyard in London just before the first lockdown! I don’t know why, but this image always comes to mind when I think about writing prompts. Perhaps it will inspire you too!

 

Anything else you’d like to add?

If you’ve never used a writing prompt, it’s definitely worth giving it a go and seeing if you agree with me, it’s likely to lead you into places you most probably wouldn’t have gone otherwise. Happy writing!

Dawn Knox talks to us about her contribution to the Script Challenge

 

Why did you pick this a particular story for creating your script?

I wanted to select a story that would be easy to produce, so I chose one that only required a few actors and was set somewhere simple. The Stag Do is a short story from the book The Basilwade Chronicles which Chapeltown Books published in 2019. It contains four characters, the curmudgeonly bridegroom, Sydney Jugg; his wheeler dealer brother, Toby; their tactless cousin, Derek Carruthers and Sebastian who the bride’s friend has coerced into being an usher. There are two scenes, and both are set in the same pub. The first scene takes place the week before the stag do while they plan what they’re going to do to celebrate and the second is the actual night of the stag do.

I thought this story would make a good script because much of it involves dialogue, with very little action. The focus is on the characters and their interactions with each other. The two brothers have a difficult relationship with Toby constantly provoking the rather pompous Sydney. Self-centred Derek is more concerned that he doesn’t miss the last bus home than with planning or taking part in the stag do. Only kind and considerate Sebastian holds everything together, despite not knowing any of the other men and having been bribed to be Sydney’s usher. I thought their humorous comments would make a good script because, other than caring Sebastian, the men often don’t converse, they merely talk at each other.

 

What was the biggest challenge in turning this into a script?

The biggest challenge was that the story that I chose came almost at the end of The Basilwade Chronicles, so anyone reading the book would already have met the four men and would have seen their characters and how they related to each other. I had to try to give a flavour of their personalities, whilst moving the story on in a script that would only take about ten minutes to perform.

 

Has your script been performed or have you any plans  for this?

No, my script hasn’t been performed. The closest to a performance has been when the narrator, John Guest, read the Stag Do chapter from The Basilwade Chronicles out on a radio show. John has recorded the audiobook for The Basilwade Chronicles.

But no one has performed this script. I’d love to see it though! When I told John about the script being published in The Script Challenge, he said he’d also love to see it performed, so we’ll be first in the queue if anyone is interested!

 

Where would you like to see it performed?

 The West End and Broadway…? No, seriously, anywhere!

 

Could you tell us which well-known actors you would like to see performing your script and why?

Playing Sydney Jugg, I see someone rather ordinary-looking but with a huge ego, such as Chris Barrie, as the incompetent manager of a leisure centre who constantly comes up with idiotic schemes in the BBC’s The Brittas Empire . Sydney carries a huge chip on his shoulder that his outlandish entrepreneurial schemes always seem to come to nothing. He’s jealous that his brother Toby, seems to have all the luck.

 Sydney’s brother, Toby Jugg, would have to be David Jason as Del Boy in BBC’s Only Fools and Horses. They are both ‘wide boys’ and both have the cheeky chatter that often persuades people to trust them.

Toby Jones looking gormless as Lance in the ITV comedy, The Detectorists would make a good Derek Carruthers. He’d portray the right level of indifference to others’ feelings and his lack of social skills – bulldozing his way through any situation.

James Dreyfus as PC Goody in the BBC’s Thin, Blue Line would make a good Sebastian. They are both well meaning, kind and slightly clueless.

 

 

Do you have any more plans for similar scripts?

I’ve adapted some stories I’ve written about two outrageous elderly ladies and their neighbours. But I haven’t submitted the script anywhere yet.

The first of the stories was written from a photo prompt of an exotic, naked shaman-like figure with a painted face who is holding a skull above his head.

The story starts with the two ladies peering through a hole in the fence into the next-door neighbour’s garden at the naked shaman-like man who’s dancing on the lawn. During their comments and conjecture as to the identity of the man, it becomes clear that one of the ladies has a closer relationship with her next-door neighbour than the other had previously thought.