What a Week!

Tuesday 21st April 2020 will be a date I will always remember. It was the day I became a published novelist and fulfilled my dream. In my last blog, I talked about how I was counting down to publication day by posting photos and short extracts from the novel in the hope of tempting readers to want to read Elin and Alexandra's stories. If you remember, I questioned whether it was right to do this in the light of the  worry and sadness of the present situation. I will never know if I got it right but I was very encouraged by the responses on Facebook and Twitter. Lots of people enjoyed the scenes of the sea and Greek village life as they helped them escape to a different time when booking a summer holiday would have been the norm at this time of year.

One of the popular posts was this one:

'Row after row of grey-green olive trees filled the space leading down to the sea.From nowhere, a breeze sprang up. To Elin, the trees were whispering, whispering about her, whispering to her, trying to tell her something.'
Those of you who have already read 'Her Mother's Secret' will know that the whispering features in Alexandra's story, too. What the whispers represent is left up to the reader to decide.

Excited and nervous, the night before, I took a long time to get to sleep, fretting about how the story would be viewed. Up until then, it was only me, the publisher, her reading panel at Ruby Publishers and my lovely editor, along with a very small band of beta readers, who knew what Elin's secret was and what Alexandra found out on her visit to Greece. By the morning, the novel would be out there in the world. What if readers didn't take to the story?

Morning arrived. What I wasn't prepared for was the generosity and kindness of the writing community, from messages of congratulations to already finding some 4* and 5* star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Throughout the day, friends and family were already reading the novel and saying how much they were enjoying it so far. I was blown away. Confined to the garden, we ate our lunch outside in bright sunshine! My husband cooked an authentic moussaka from a recipe given to me by my aunt and Greek uncle, accompanied by a Greek salad. Our dessert was stewed plums and natural Greek yoghurt, reminiscent of their plum trees laden with fruit and a frequent way to end a meal when we stayed with them. We had no retsina so had a beer and imagined it to be Mythos! That evening we'd scheduled a celebratory Zoom meeting with our three grown up children and the two eldest grandsons. With flutes in hand and a bottle of bubbly, we joined the meeting only to find our daughter had also invited other family members as well as friends! Such a lovely surprise and such a fitting end to a publication day in lockdown.  

The week continued with more blog appearances, lots of messages and reviews. A huge thank you to everyone who has taken time to write them and support me. If you'd like to read more about my writing and 'Her Mother's Secret', this week I've appeared on these blogs:
Monday 20^th April – Sister Scribes
https://www.frostmagazine.com/category/culture/sister-scribes/
Tuesday 21^st April - Karen Mace 
http://www.booksandme.co.uk/search?q=Jan+Baynham
Thursday 23^rd April - Tara Greaves
https://aftertheraincomessunshine.com/2020/04/23/a-look-behind-the-book-with-jan-baynham-2/
Friday 24th April - Carol Thomas
https://www.carol-thomas.co.uk/stories-that-will-make-you-smile-jan-baynham/
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Mothers-Secret-Summer-69-ebook/dp/B085CHV3VQ/

Thank you for reading. If you've had a publication day during lockdown, how did you celebrate? Maybe you have one coming up. What are your plans?
You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

Counting Down During Lockdown

As I looked ahead to the publication of my debut novel, never in my wildest dreams could I have envisaged the present state of the world, a world in lockdown to protect us all against a deadly virus. Life as we've known it has virtually come to a stop. 'Her Mother's Secret' is to be published as an ebook by Ruby Fiction next Tuesday on April 21st. I hadn't planned a formal launch party with a book signing and readings as I would have done for a paperback. I was going to have fun celebrating, though. A meal out at a Greek restaurant, trying to make baklavas to share with friends over a glass or two of bubbly, followed by a tot of ouzo, maybe. None of that can happen now. A number of friends whose novels are to be published in paperback have had to cancel their book launches and it must be far more disappointing for them. However, it is much more important that we observe social distancing and self-isolating. Authors are coming up with various ways of  marking publication days.

Magnolias on one of our walks

When Corona virus first arrived in Britain and it was clear that it would spread very quickly, I was glued to every update and bulletin trying to absorb the awful news. When so many were suffering themselves or losing loved ones, celebrating a new book publication didn't seem right. Would it appear insensitive? Having 'met' up virtually with writer friends, we talked about the escapism that reading can provide and how maybe photos of sunnier climes and the setting of much of my novel could lift the spirits. I hope so anyway and hope that's how my counting down posts on Twitter and my FB Writer page are viewed. I know at the moment I like to read about positive acts of support for our wonderful key workers, enjoy humourous sketches or see photos of our beautiful countryside as people take their daily permitted walks. I still watch a daily update and nothing will take away from the grim statistics. 

What have I been doing? I'm very grateful to the fellow authors who have offered guest blog posts or question and answer interviews on their blogs around  the time 'Her Mother's Secret' comes out. Writing the posts and answering questions has proved to be a great way for me to keep in touch with my writing when I don't seem to be able to concentrate long enough to get fully immersed in my WiP. I've also learned about Zoom, the virtual way I've kept in touch by having family meet-ups, meetings with the local Chapter and Slimming World. My Pilates instructor has been providing varied, almost daily Pilates sessions live online and I have enjoyed these immensely as a start to the day. Our daily walks in this amazing weather have proved to be the uplift we need and we've found walks around the village we didn't know existed!

Last Monday, the first of the blog posts was published on Jessie Cahalin's wonderful Books in my Handbag Blog. A big thank you to her for featuring me on her blog. If you haven't already read it, please do. I talk about what inspired me to write Elin and Alexandra's stories.

Five days to go:

Villa Anastasia

'The large wrought iron gates were padlocked and the pristine white shutters securely fastened down over the windows. A card had been stuck to the top of the post box with an Athens address for re-directing mail.'

Part of the novel, Elin's story, is set in 1969. Next Tuesday, why not pop over to follow me @JanBaynham on Twitter and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page? It would be great to see you there and I'd love it if you shared photos of yourself dressed in 60s gear or in 60s fancy dress. Thanks. I shall be sharing some 60s music, too. Although Bryan Adams didn't release this until June 1985, I'll leave you with this. Please turn the sound right up.
Thanks for reading!  

The Summer of '69


Amazon UK link: Her Mother's Secret - the Summer of '69
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Mothers-Secret-Summer-69-ebook/

That Was the Week That Was

Last week was an exciting time for me and one I never thought would happen. After teasing with a partial cover a few days earlier, my lovely publisher, Ruby Fiction, revealed the whole cover of my debut novel to the world on Tuesday. I'm sure no one had guessed that there was a 60s camper van hidden away on the teaser! The timing of the cover reveal couldn't have come at a better time. It was #TuesNews @RNAtweets day on Twitter and the support I've received from RNA members together with so many other generous writers in the writing community has been overwhelming. Thank you to every one of you! It suddenly all became very real for me. My book was out there and I was going to become a published novelist. Publication date is April 21st, just six weeks away, and my novel is available for pre-order. I also have Jan Baynham Author Page on Amazon.

How important are book covers? The old saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' certainly doesn't ring true for me. I am a visual person and when selecting books, my imagination goes into over-drive when looking at a cover. In May 2016, I wrote a blog, Judging Books By Covers, and eleven people commented. Most agreed with me that together with reading the blurb on the back of the book, covers can influence you whether or not to select a book. As I said in that post, I like to make up my own mind about what characters are like through reading but the mood of a story can be suggested by the colours and atmosphere suggested in an image. I hope you agree that Ruby Fiction has done that with my cover, especially when you read the blurb. I love it. 

The blurb on Amazon says: 

It's 1969 and free-spirited Elin Morgan has left Wales for a sun-drenched Greek island. As she makes new friends and enjoys the laidback lifestyle, she writes all about it in her diary. But Elin's summer of love doesn't last long, and her island experience ultimately leaves her with a shocking secret.

Twenty-two years later, Elin's daughter Alexandra has inherited the diary and is reeling from its revelations. The discovery compels Alexandra to make her own journey to the same island, following in her mother's footsteps. Once there, she sets about uncovering what really happened to Elin in that summer of '69.

 Thank you for reading. What makes you order a book?
            - cover alone
            - cover and blurb
            - blurb only
            - word of mouth
I'd love it if you shared your thoughts. Thank you

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

#LoveWritingMCR

On Saturday, I attended the 'Love Writing Manchester' event put on by the Research in Arts and Humanities department at Manchester Met university in collaboration with the RNA. It was part of the association's 60th Anniversary and the special guest author was Debbie Johnson. 

After introductions, Alison May as chair of the RNA gave an excellent presentation entitled 'Then, Now and into the Future'. She gave us insight into why the RNA was formed and the original aims of the organisation which were to:

• to raise the prestige of Romantic Fiction, a genre sometimes views with prejudice and outdated stereo types
• to nurture authors
  

Presently, there are over 1000 members of which 300+ are members on the New Writers' Scheme. There are now annual awards recognising authors writing across all sub-genres - from traditional romance, historical fiction, sagas, fantasy, romantic comedy, romantic thrillers. In all these different genres, there is a love story thread. Looking to the future, the RNA is becoming more inclusive. Alison encouraged us to be proud of the breadth of authors and their fiction. and to celebrate what we do. 

Next was Jeevani Charika/Rhoda Baxter who writes romantic comedy. She took us through some tips for writing in this genre. One of these was, she suggested, 'the bigger the build up or tension, the bigger the laugh.' All the basic rules of romance such as the happy ever after ending will still apply in a rom. com. She said that when comedy arises organically from the characters that is far better than trying to force it. Her message to us was to have fun!

Liam Livings, gay romance author and RNA Diversity and Inclusion Officer, spoke about his life in writing giving insight into how he developed his writer's voice. As well as photographs of his early life, he treated us to some excerpts of his diaries and poetry that were part of his journey to becoming the multi published author he is today. 

After lunch, Kirsty Bunting of Manchester Met, who writes as Kiley Dunbar, was in conversation with the special guest, Debbie Johnson. We learned of Debbie's journey from writing short stories to winning the Harry Bowling prize for New Writing in 2010, joining the RNA through to becoming a highly successful author of romantic fiction. She was asked what she likes about being a writer and she explained how satisfying it is when fans message her and readers get in touch. She deals with big life issues in her books and readers often contact her to say how her books have helped them when dealing with the same things. 

'Troubleshooting Tips for Writers' by Katherine Fox of Manchester Met was another excellent session. Her talk centred on the following points:

• the slow start
• not enough tension
• the backstory
• cliches
• show don't tell
• keeping it real

As she went through each one and gave examples, I found myself reflecting back to my own writing to identify if and when I'd been guilty of them.  


A very interesting session was chaired by Alison May when she asked questions of members of Hera Books, a new all female publishing house established in 2018. The panel consisted of Lindsay Mooney and Keshini Naidoo, the publishers, and Jeevani Charika and Kiley Dunbar, two of their authors. They gave an insight into the world of publishing from submission through to publication. 

When the Writing School's One Thousand Word Meets Cute Competition winners were announced, it was great to hear that fellow ChocLit/Ruby Fiction author, Lucy Keeling was highly commended with her story, 'Getting the Shot'. Congratulations, Lucy!

All too quickly, the day came to an end. All that was left was to sample a glass of bubbly and some delicious cup cakes and say our  goodbyes. Congratulations to the organisers for such an enjoyable and informative day.  

Thank you for reading. Have you and your writer friends have any plans to celebrate the RNA's 60th anniversary in 2020? I'd love to hear what they are. 

You may aslo follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer page.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award empowers bloggers to celebrate other bloggers who are creative and bring positivity to the blogging community.

I was surprised and delighted to be nominated by Jessie Cahalin for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thanks, Jessie! It was just what I needed on such a grey blustery day. Having started my blog in January 2014 to trace my writing journey, I am thrilled to receive this accolade from such a prestigious blogger as Jessie, whose ‘Books in My Handbag’ blog is well known and followed globally. I’ve got to know Jessie over the last twelve months and value her support, enthusiasm and, above all, her friendship within our local RNA Chapter.

Here are the 11 questions set by Jessie for her nominees, with my answers:
Which three photographs would you present to capture your life? 

In my grandad's garden. I was extremely lucky to have a very happy childhood growing up in rural mid-Wales.

Walking on a beach in Crete on one of our many holidays in Greece. It came as no surprise to set my first novel on a fictional island there.

Holding my very first book in my hands.
Amazon Link

I believe laughter is one of the best tonics in life.  When was the last time you could not stop laughing?

The silliest things set me off laughing. I love Christmas cracker jokes, the cornier the better, and puns. This is a typical Facebook post that made me laugh from ex-colleague and writer, Paul Manship. Go on, you know you want to sing it.

Explain the last act of kindness you showed to a friend or stranger.
I consider myself to be a good listener and people have said it helps when they're able to share something that's worrying them and know it won't go any further.

Do you prefer the winter sun or the summer sun?  Explain your response.
Although I love crisp sunny days in Winter, especially as this year there haven't been very many, I much prefer the long days of summer with lots of warm sunshine. I would love to live in a country with guaranteed summer sun. Every year we try to spend our main holiday somewhere in Greece. The wall to wall sunshine is my idea of heaven. 

Describe your perfect Saturday evening.
It depends on the time of year. Last Saturday, it was horribly wet and windy so we ordered a Thai take-away meal cooked locally and then settled down to watching a new-to-us Scandi Noir series starring Rebecka Martinsson on the TV. 

What sorts of characters do you prefer to meet in novels? 
I like to meet well rounded characters with whom I can empathise. To be authentic, they may have some flaws but they will be people I'm rooting for to overcome the obstacles set in their way. Above all I need to like them.    

Give one sentence of advice to yourself when you were sixteen.

I would tell her to smile more! I seem to be pouting in every photo taken at that time. Perhaps I thought it made me look more interesting, ha, ha.






Is there a friend from the past you would love to get in touch with and why?

My friend, Pauline, and I were inseparable until she left for Art College after Form 5 (Year 11) and we lost touch. These days I'm sure we would have kept up the friendship with social media. 

What is your food heaven and food hell?
My food heaven is fish. I like all kinds of fish especially sea bass, maybe garnished with succulent juicy prawns, too. Food hell would be kidneys. It would be offal - boom, boom! (I told you I like silly jokes.)   

Share your favourite recipe.
My husband, Alan, does most of the cooking in our house and is good at it. However, I do like to make Welsh cakes using my mum's recipe. When our three children were in university, they often received a parcel containing Welsh cakes from their Nan. Nowadays, our grandchildren are learning how to cook them and then enjoy sampling them.



If you could travel back in time where would you visit and who would you take with you?

I'd love to go back with Alan to any Greek island before tourism arrived and sample the real Greece. We'd live a simple life, spending time in idyllic fishing villages and mixing with the locals. 

And now it's my turn to nominate 11 lovely bloggers whose blogs I enjoy:

• Carol Lovekin
• Cass Grafton
• Christina Hollis
• Evonne Wareham
• Jen Gilroy
• Jill Barry
• Kirsten Hesketh
• Lynn Forth
• Lucy Mitchell
• Susanna Bavin
• Tara Greaves

I know how busy everyone is so please don't feel obliged to respond. Just enjoy your nomination. If you do choose to accept, here are a few rules to follow:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.
• Nomin ate 11 new bloggers and their blogs. Do leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award and ask your nominees 11 new questions.

Here are the questions for my nominees. I look forward to reading your answers.

• What is your favourite room in the house and why?
• What is your proudest moment?
• What is your biggest fear?
• What would be the biggest compliment a reader could give you about your writing?
• What question would you ask your main character at the end of your novel?
• Where would you take a guest visiting your home town for the first time?
• What song has a special meaning for you?
• If you could choose to be a famous person in history, who would it be and why?
• Name a treasured possession.
• What is your best quality and what is your worst?
• Are you a lark or a night owl?

I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog and hope that my nominations will lead you to these other bloggers and find out more about their books.

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer page.

Looking Forward

The year ahead is a very special one for the RNA. It's the sixty year Diamond Anniversary of its existence and there are already many events being arranged around the country. 

2020 is also a very special year for me as a writer. It's the year when my dream of becoming a published author will come true. I was very late starting to write any type of fiction and especially when attempting to write full length novels in the last five years. I'm looking forward to 'Whispering Olive Trees' entering the world in April. So, what are my plans for the coming year?

 I hope:

• to work with the editor from Ruby Fiction to get my debut novel ready for publication. Having submitted novel number two to my publisher, too, I hope to hear more about that one soon and be working on edits for that as well before the end of the year.
• to research novel three before completing the first draft. This has stalled somewhat this year and I need to knuckle down to finishing it. Part of the novel involves one of the characters working for the French Resistance during WWII so I'm hoping to visit parts of northern France for location research. That's my excuse, anyway! It's a bit daunting as, now I'm a full member of the RNA, this will be the first novel I've written without the support of the wonderful New Writers' Scheme.  
• to attend RNA events - the 'Love Writing Manchester' event in February, the RNA Conference at Harper Adams in July and the York Tea in September, for starters. It will be fun planning an event for our own Chapter with our members, too.
• to read more, especially books in my genre.
• to continue with the blog, now fortnightly. It's my way of supporting other authors through interviews and guest posts as well as logging events that happen on my own writing journey.
• to continue to enjoy my writing, write more often and learn more about the craft.

Wish me luck! 

Thank you for reading and your generous support last year. I hope you achieve your writing goals in 2020. How do you prioritise what you want to achieve? My goals have changed over the six years I've been writing my blog. They are more general now, referring to the whole novel perhaps rather than one short story to be shortlisted, for example, but maybe they're bigger goals to achieve. How have yours changed? I'd love it if you shared your ideas. Thanks.

If you are at any of the RNA 'Diamond' celebrations, please introduce yourself and say 'Hi'. If you have a new book coming out or would like to share some writing news, please message me.

You may also follow me on @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer page.

Reflecting Back On the Decade

January 1st this year was not only the start of a new year but the start of  a new decade. When I looked back to January 2010, so much has happened in those ten years personally and from my writing perspective. We'd just lost my dear mum at the end of October 2009 and spent the first Christmas without her. She left a huge hole in our lives and I still miss her terribly. However, on a happier note, we've gained two more lovely grandchildren - Ellis in 2016 and Autumn in 2017. They are great fun to be around and keep Nana on her toes!  It's hard to believe that back then I hadn't written any fiction at all. I joined a local library writing group, meeting once a month, in September 2010 and that was when my very first short story was written.The prompt was 'She peered inside the church...' Not much to go on but soon my imagination led me to this scenario.

Emma peered inside the church. Her eyes took a while to adjust to the shadowy gloom of the unlit building. She looked at the note in her hand again but didn’t know what she was supposed to be looking for. She walked towards the altar where a stained glass window cast jewels on the polished tiles. Nothing could have prepared her for what she found. Lying in the lid of a battered brown suitcase, a baby was fast asleep on the chancel steps.

Since those tentative beginnings, I've gone on to write many short stories and flash fiction pieces. Through the group, I found out about writing courses offered by Cardiff university and over the decade I have taken ones on short story writing, novel writing and another on writing crime fiction. All were taught by published authors and not only have I learned a lot, I have made many writing friends along the way. Gradually, I gained the confidence to submit my writing. Several stories and flash fiction pieces were published on-line and in anthologies, others were short and long listed in competitions.

The novel writing course convinced me that I wanted to write longer fiction and in 2016 I became a member of the RNA when I was accepted onto its excellent New Writers' Scheme. The organisation has offered so much, not least the annual Conferences where I've come to value the support and friendship of the writing community. 

Looking back on my goals from a year ago, I'm so pleased that I've been able to realise most of them. I did:

• find a home for my Greek novel, 'Whispering Olive Trees'. I was thrilled to sign a contract with Ruby Fiction for three books in 2019 and it will be published in April - in just four months time! 
• completely restructure and edit my wartime novel and submit it as the second novel to Ruby.
• attend the 2019 RNA Conference in Lancaster. And what a fantastic time I had there! Sharing a flat with writers I'd met at previous conferences was a bonus.
• try to support other authors on Facebook and Twitter. I was delighted when Jessie Cahalin, Polly Heron and Jill Barry appeared as guests on my blog. 
• enjoy my writing, but I need to write more often, and I certainly learned more about the craft.

One goal I only partly achieved was:

• to plan and research my new novel set in war-time France. I did write a detailed chapter plan of the three sections of the novel and sorted the scenes already written into the time line but I haven't done the research I hoped and need. I submitted the first war-time novel in its new guise to the NWS instead. I received a very positive critique giving me plenty of advice and ideas. 

A real bonus in 2019 was the publication of my first collection of short stories by Black Pear Press. 'Smashing the Mask and Other Stories' came out in October and it was a great feeling to hold my first book and read some excerpts aloud at the launch in Worcester. Weeks later, I was invited to give an author talk in a library - another first. Again this year, three of my flashes appeared in the WorcestershireLitFest and Fringe annual anthology, but for the first time I was placed in the top three. I attended the launch of the literary festival in June to read out my second placed piece and receive my cash prize! 

I look back on the decade as one when I became a writer. I've learned so much already with much, much more to master, making many friends from experienced authors to writers like myself knocking on the door of publication. The writing community is a very supportive one. 2019 has been a brilliant year for me and I do hope it has for you, too. I wonder what the next decade has in store for us. Next week I will share my goals for 2020 with you.

Thank you for reading. What has the last ten years meant for you and your writing? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts with us. Thank you.

You may also follow me on Twitter  @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Facebook page.