And The Winner Is...

A big thank you to all who read my interview with Honno author, Thorne Moore, last week especially those who left a comment.The draw ended at midnight last night. 

Names were written on post-its, the papers folded and placed in a hat. I am delighted to announce that the name pulled out, and therefore the winner, is Susanna Bavin. Congratulations, Sue.

All that needs to be done now is for Sue to send me her contact details to forward to Honno who has very kindly donated the give-away.  A copy of The Unravelling will be on its way to Sue before very long! 

I hope you will enjoy reading your prize, Sue. :-)

Guest Interview With Thorne Moore

Today, I’m thrilled to be chatting to author, Thorne Moore. Those of you who read my blog will know I'm a big fan of Thorne's previous books and I was eagerly awaiting her third novel. ‘The Unravelling’ was published by Honno on Thursday 21^st July and I’m so pleased she has agreed to appear on my blog.

Thorne, welcome.

Thank you for asking me, Jan. It’s a pleasure.

 Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your writing.

Well, I grew up in Luton, which I have milked remorselessly for settings for my books, and after studying history at Aberystwyth university, I worked in Luton library for a while. Then I moved to Pembrokeshire, where I ran a restaurant with my sister. Pembrokeshire provides another setting for my books. I’ve run a business for years making miniature furniture (hand carved Tudor furniture for dollshouses), but now, more and more, I am concentrating on writing, which is all I ever really wanted to do.

Can you tell us what inspired you to write ‘The Unravelling’?

Mostly it was the setting – the estate in Luton where I grew up. Which sounds a bit absurd,

being inspired by a very ordinary council estate, but when you are young, the place you live can have all sorts of undertones that lurk in your subconscious, even a very ordinary council estate. I was remembering my walks to and from school, with the myths we children concocted, like killer leeches in the culverts, or witch’s cottages that we had to run past. Once I started remembering, and overlaying it all with an adult’s view of things, I began to imagine all the dark things that might have happened, even though they didn’t – apart from the setting, it’s all fiction, honest.

You’ve dedicated the book to the lovely, Janet Thomas. Perhaps you’d like to share with us the role Janet played in your writing of the book.

It was a book that had been in my mind for years. I’ve lost count of the number of times I started it, because I knew I really wanted to write it. But for some reason I always put it on a back burner  and moved on to something else. After the publication of my second book, Motherlove, I had lunch with my then editor, Janet, who asked me what I was working on, now. I had various ideas that I ran past her, and then I mentioned the plot of The Unravelling. It unravelled itself so completely on a plate in front of us that she said ‘write it.’ Since I trusted her judgement implicitly, I couldn’t argue, so I went home and wrote it. Without her, I’d probably still be nursing the idea as the book I was always going to write, one day.

I'm so pleased Janet said 'write it!' because I have to tell you straightaway that I loved ‘The Unravelling’ and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you! That’s the best compliment there is for any writer. You know we are all on agonising tenterhooks when we put our new babies out for inspection.

You seem to get right inside the heads of your characters, especially Karen. You explore a whole range of human emotions through them. Can you say which came first, the characters or the story you wanted to tell?

I think it was a chicken and egg situation. It’s been in my head for so long that the characters and the story have always been fused. What fascinates me most, in the realm of crime dramas, is the idea of long-term consequences that aren’t neatly tidied away when the clever detective has revealed all in the drawing room. I wanted a story revolving around a lot of characters who have all been damaged by a single long-ago event. I am a bit alarmed, though, by the ease with which I got inside Karen, who really has major problems. I’m not sure what it says about me.

The setting of Lyford and the sense of place is very real in this latest book.  I felt I was there every time Karen returned to it. In ‘Motherlove’, the babies are born in Lyford hospital. Is Lyford based on a real place?

Lyford is Luton. And then again, it isn’t. I grew up in Luton, so I knew it very well, but I left it in 1983. Lyford is a fictional rearrangement of all my images of Luton as I used to know it, like a pack of cards thrown up in the air and reshuffled. I don’t suppose my Lyford bears all that much resemblance to Luton as it has developed since the 1980s. Then again, it might. I do also describe the rural downland around Luton, and I don’t think that’s changed much at all.

The theme of memory is so well explored and the fact that bad memories can be suppressed and hidden so deeply makes me wonder how much research into the psychology of the human mind you had to do before writing the novel?

I should have, shouldn’t I? But I didn’t do any research at all for this book. I know that memories, often very insignificant ones, can be triggered by all manner of things – a smell, a taste, a trick of the light. I just ransacked my own memories and applied my own imagination. Karen has ‘problems’ but while I let her list various labels that might be applied to her, I resist giving a clinical diagnosis. I think we can all look inside ourselves and imagine what sort of mental trickery we might employ to shield ourselves from things we can’t cope with. Or am I exceptionally mad?

More of a case of having a wonderful imagination, I suspect.
The title ‘The Unravelling’ is just perfect for the story.  Was that something you came up with from the beginning or was it a title that evolved as you were writing the book?

It sprang on me at the end. I’d called it, vaguely, “Looking for Serena” until it was finished and I actually had to start thinking about a title. Then it occurred to me that Karen refers to her own unravelling, and that’s what happens on several levels in the story.

How much planning did you do for ‘The Unravelling’?

Two answers to that. A) thirty years of taking a run at it and then stopping. B) none at all. When Janet persuaded me to get on with it, I just sat down and it flowed, as if it had been there all the time. If only all books did that.

Well, it certainly paid off this time!

On a more general note, do you have a particular writing routine?

I wake up and write. 6-7 o’clock. That’s when my brain works. I only write after mid-day if I’m seriously on the last leg of a book and can’t stop. I do do a lot of composing in my head when I take a walk after dinner. All sorts of problems resolve themselves then. I sleep on them, and everything falls into place in the morning – mostly.

Where do you write?

In bed! I just reach for my laptop, switch it on and get writing. Why waste precious writing time getting dressed?

For me, all three of your novels have been real page-turners and they gather in momentum as the stories unfold. Can we expect your next book be a psychological thriller, too?

Thorne's other novels

I certainly hope so. I have another book with my agent at the moment, which is another psychological mystery, but this time with a slight supernatural twist – not a ghost story, but I am interested in how someone would really cope with paranormal feelings that other people don’t share. Would they cope at all? I don’t think it would be something that could possibly make life easy or comfortable. It’s another book set in the wilds of Pembrokeshire.

I can't wait!

How did you celebrate the launch of ‘The Unravelling’?

By swearing loudly at BT because my broadband wasn’t working. But then, with a family get-together, a gorgeous plate of spaghetti al nero di seppia with smoked salmon, and a glass of champagne. Yummie.

Thorne on publication day

That sounds lovely! :-) Thank you so much, Thorne, for taking time out to chat to me. I wish you good luck with your latest book.

 Thank you for inviting me. It was great to talk and I am so glad you enjoyed the book.

‘The Unravelling’ is published by Honno Press

Links to the book on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2aezoa0

To find out more about Thorne, here are some links:
Blog: http://thornemoore.blogspot.co.uk

Website: www.thornemoore.co.uk

FB Author page: https://www.facebook.com/thornemoorenovelist

Twitter: @ThorneMoore

MY THOUGHTS AFTER READING ‘The Unravelling’ 
Rating: 5*

This is a dark, disturbing tale that kept me gripped until the end. I couldn’t put it down and read it over a few days. The title is just perfect as the reader is presented with an unravelling of what has made the main character, Karen, so emotionally damaged. The contrast between her thoughts as an adult and her thinking as a child is well executed. We are able to move seamlessly from one to the other as Karen’s memories are slowly unlocked. All the characters are credible and very well drawn, displaying deep emotions of how they are all damaged in different ways by what happened thirty-five years before. The novel reaches a satisfying conclusion and justice is done, as far as it can be. I was still thinking about the issues raised in the novel long after finishing it and for me, that is the sign of an excellent read. I cannot recommend ‘The Unravelling’ highly enough.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you enjoyed finding out about Thorne and her novels. Why not visit her website to find out more? 

Honno Press has kindly allowed me to offer a give-away of 'The Unravelling'. If you leave a comment about why you would like to win the book on the blog by midnight on Saturday 20th August, your name will be entered into a draw. Good luck everyone!

You may follow me on Twitter @JanBayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer             Facebook page.

Tenby Book Fair 

24th September 2016 - Why not mark it in your diaries now? Apart from the town being an absolutely stunning place to visit, the fair holds an important place in the calendar for readers and writers alike. It is held in the centre of Tenby in St Mary's Church House. My first visit was last year and found it was a wonderful opportunity to meet the authors and browse their books. There was a real buzz about the whole day.

This year looks as if it's going to be even better and bigger and I've been following the Tenby Book Fair Facebook Page with interest. It will be a showcase of Welsh talent of authors from a wide range of genres - children's, romance, science fiction, crime, historical, thrillers, sagas, magical, poetry, short-stories, biographies and non-fiction. Phew! It's a very impressive line-up and you may read more about the authors HERE.  For more in-depth interviews with writer friend, Judith Barrow, you may find them here on her excellent BLOG.

As well as authors, Welsh publishers will be present and offering talks about their work and advice about submissions. 

Here is the list of talks that will be going on throughout the day:

Some talks, readings, Q&A sessions will be held in an adjoining room at the fair. Numbers will be limited, so it is advisable to reserve a place in advance. There is no charge.

CONTACT US NOW TO RESERVE A PLACE.

1. 11:00    Cambria Publishing Co-operative will be giving a talk and taking questions about the services and assistance they offer to independent authors.
2. 11:30    Poet Kathy Miles will be giving a reading of some of her work.
3. 12:00    Firefly Press will be talking about publishing children’s books and what they look for in submissions.
4. 12:30    Prizes for the short story competitions will be presented in the main hall – no booking necessary.
5. 1:30      Colin Parsons, children’s writer, talks about his popular work
6. 2:00      Honno Welsh Women’s Press will be talking about their work, publishing contemporary novelists, anthologies and classics, and discussing what they look for in submissions.
7. 2:30      Matt Johnson, thriller writer and ex-policeman, talks about his work and experiences.
8. 2:55      Main hall (no booking required): raffle prizes.

There are also three writing COMPETITIONS this year:

1. Children - For entrants aged 7 - 12, an essay (one page) entitled: "My Favourite Character".

2. Young Adult Flash Fiction - For entrants aged 12 - 18, a 100 word "Creepy Tale".

3. Adult Short Story - For entrants 18 and over: a short story, "The Bag Lady."

The closing date is Saturday 13th August so you haven't got long! Good luck. 

An event such as this would not be possible without a lot of hard work and effort. I thought you may like to see the three organisers who are responsible for getting the show on the road:

Alex Martin           Judith Barrow      Thorne Moore

They are all very successful writers and you can find more about their books on their websites: Alex, Judith, Thorne

If you can visit Tenby on the 24th September, I know you won't be disappointed. Hope to see you there! :-)

What literary event have you attended and would recommend? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

Thank you for reading. You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

Distinctive Voices

Things have been a bit quiet on here lately but I've reached a plateau. I don't want to make this a negative post so I'm going to appeal for your help! After arriving back from the RNA conference on a high, I set about re-editing my novel based on the critique I had received from the NWS and the 1-to-1 sessions with publishers and editors. I'd decided I'd put aside the month of August to re-edit the novel with the view to submitting it in early September.

The first thing I did was to go through the report again in detail and reflect on which points I agreed with. Whoever my reader was, I can't thank her enough for time taken to produce such a full and analytical critique. There are many positives in it; these points are spurring me on to think it's a story worth persevering with and trying to get the manuscript much better before submitting it. Most comments were easy to address and were quite specific - for example, an overuse of the word 'looked' or 'looking' on one page or a certain paragraph that was pronoun heavy in a particular chapter. However, one other observation is causing me more trouble:
'I think that the voices of Clara and Rose are very similar. The tone of their thinking and the way they act did not differ much......Could you make them stand apart in some way so that they are differentiated in the reader's mind yet still reflect the bond between them?'
I can see what my reader means and trying to make the two voices distinct from each other has been my main focus over the last week. When I wrote the first draft, I tried to make sure that Clara would use some sayings or slang from the '60s whereas Rose spoke more formally in 1947 but I need to take it further. For example, I've looked at whether Rose would address her father as 'Father', especially as he was a disciplinarian, whereas Clara calls him 'Dad.' I need to look at the way the two characters act and react and make sure they are unique in their own ways. 

Here are some other ways I've been considering: 

• giving the characters a verbal habit or saying unique to them, saying 'umm', 'err'
• varying the lengths of the characters' sentences - maybe, short, sharp stilted sentences to reflect one character
• mannerisms such as fiddling with her hair, twirling it around her finger when she's concentrating
• contrasting reactions to unpleasant news - for example, one could be a sulker/one a ranter
• differing inner thoughts - does one keep thoughts to herself, and one more open and says what she thinks?
• character traits unique to each one

Perhaps you help me here.  How do you make each of your characters unique and distinct from each other? All suggestions gratefully received! Thank you. :-)

Writing friend, Catherine Burrows, has recommended this book. It's very readable and details may be found HERE. Once I've got my protagonists' voices right, this is how I shall be spending my writing time during August. :-)

Thank you for reading. How will you be spending August? 

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

RNA CONFERENCE 2016

It's a week since I returned home after my very first Conference that was held at Lancaster University. Although I have nothing with which to compare it, the venue was excellent. My head was full to bursting with all I'd learned, the conversations with so many new people I'd met and the advice I'd been given on my manuscript .

My lovely writing friend, Sue McDonagh, was driving up on the Thursday and I shared the journey with her. Both of us were conference first timers  and it meant that neither of us arrived on our own. I needn't have worried. What struck me was how welcoming everyone was. We were directed to our en-suite rooms where we unpacked, freshened up and then made our way to the dining room and bar in Barker House Farm. It was quieter on the Thursday night and an ideal time to introduce ourselves and put faces to names of writers we'd only previously seen on social media.

After breakfast on Friday, we made our way to the George Fox building where all the sessions would be taking place. If map-reading was not a strong point, you could follow the purple arrow cards strategically placed in the grass outlining the route. I just followed whoever was in front of me! Once there, we collected our lanyards and name cards. Mine had a sparkly pink flower sticker to showing everyone it was my first conference - what a great idea! We helped fill the goody bags, over two hundred of them. It was done with military precision and we moved along the tables taking one item from each pile to fill the bags. 

Let the conference begin! From Friday lunchtime until we left on Sunday, the weekend was jam packed with activities. Here are some of my highlights:

• Sessions where I learned a lot about the Writing Industry - 1) Building Your Writing Career. Here Alison May chaired the panel which consisted of both authors and agents.The importance of creating a platform so that your name is recognised was stressed, making sure you know who you're submitting to and to never give up. 2) Writing a Commercial Novel with Kate Bradley and Alex Brown. This was a particularly useful session where Kate talked about the retail outlets and their particular target audiences. Tastes change and so do trends. Alex looked at how her books have changed. 3) Together We Stand! This was chaired by Nicola Cornick and the panel consisted of agents, editors and authors who represented the many faces of publishing.
  
  
  
   
• A session about Working with an Editor  - Helen Bryant of 'Cornerstones' gave a lively presentation of how to get in touch with your inner editor, how to identify plot holes and how be able to accept feedback in a positive way. You should have the confidence to question and brainstorm with your editor. Her story arc with its peaks and troughs was useful, especially one part which she calls 'the-rug-pulled-from-under-you' moment.
  
• The 1-to-1 Sessions with Industry Professionals - I was very apprehensive about these, realising it was a wonderful opportunity to have your writing and synopsis scrutinised by people in the industry yet concerned about what they would say. I came away from each one very encouraged that I had a story worth telling and with some helpful guidance about where to go next. In fact, Kate Bradley of HarperCollins was so generous, spending time with me the next day, too. She suggested some changes in the structure of my dual narrative to make the links between the two stories clearer. I can't thank Kate enough. I learned so much from just talking things through with her. A big thank you to Elaine Everest for organising these. 
• Meeting my on-line friend, Sue Cook, (Susannah Bavin) for the first time. She has been such a support to me since we 'met' whilst doing NaNoWriMo in 2014. 
• Meeting up with other first-timers after dinner on the Friday - this was organised by Kate Thomson and she made us all feel at home.Thank you, Kate! 
  

• The Gala Dinner. We all dressed up on the Saturday night and donned our heels. After a lovely meal, Eileen Ramsay, our Chairman, announced the results of the annual Elizabeth Goudge Award. The winner from twenty-three entries was Chrissie Bradshaw with her story, Such Small Moments. Before the evening came to a close, Jan Jones was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to thank her for all the hard work in organising the conference. The sound of the cheering and applause was testament to how much we all appreciated this.

  

   Four of us from the Cowbridge Writing Group

Sunday morning continued with more sessions and it was soon time to head for home, this time accompanied by Vanessa and Catherine who'd come up by train. The atmosphere in the car was buzzing with stories of the weekend, who we'd seen and spoken to, which sessions we'd attended, how we were going to get back and put into practice what we'd learned and how much Prosecco had been consumed!

A big thank you to all who made RNA Conference 2016 such a huge success! Everyone was so friendly, helpful and full of fun that I can't wait to go again. Thanks, too, to John Jackson for his photos. They give a real flavour of what went on. 

Thank you for reading. What event has inspired you to revive your confidence and get back to your writing with increased enthusiasm? I'd love it if you shared it with us. :-)

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

Sssh! Do You Want To Know A Secret?
Recently, I watched the aptly titled drama, The Secret, on ITV. Set amid a devout Baptist community in Northern Ireland in the early Nineties, the story is based on a true story about an adulterous affair that went horribly wrong. Rather than reveal the outcomes in case some of you want to watch the series, HERE is a link to find out more. 

My first novel centres around one big family secret. Everyone has managed to keep it from my main character, Clara, for eighteen years until she overhears her aunt spilling the beans to someone at her nephew's christening. Her reaction to what she has found out takes her to another decade in history and to a foreign country. There are other secrets of forbidden love and Black Market in the story, too. 

I'm now planning novel number two and there's a secret at the heart of my new story. It's got me thinking about what kinds of secrets lie deeply buried in families.Some can be small and insignificant whilst others can have heartbreaking results when they are divulged. Most families have secrets but it's the kind and importance of those secrets that vary. Some of the best novels I've read centre around deeply held secrets. The secret can relate to issues such as infidelity, mental illness, crime, abuse, premarital pregnancy, sexuality, alcoholism...the list goes on. It seems that the darker the secret the deeper it's hidden. Any topic that a family member thinks may cause anxiety may become a family secret. Secrets that were shocking in one era may be perfectly acceptable in another. 


At a recent meeting of my critique group, I took along the mind-map/plan of novel number 2 which is another dual narrative and partly set in Greece. I presented the initial plot and asked for suggestions for other possible family secrets that would be unravelled by the main character, Lexi, in her quest for the truth about her birth father. Here are some of the what if?s my writing buddies came up with:

• What if her real father 'accidentally' killed her grandfather and so was not in a position to marry her mother, Elin?
• What if Costas is her father but Elin is not her real mother but a woman who gave birth to a still-born baby and stole Lexi?
• What if Costas is not Lexi's father but his brother had a secret affair with Elin and Lexi was the result?
• What if the mother of the two Greek brothers has a dark secret of her own and Costas is not her son?

It was interesting to see how people came up with different scenarios and by relating their 'stories', it gave me plenty to think about. I won't tell you what I've decided or even if I'll use any of their suggestions......it's a secret! 

What secrets do you find the most fascinating or compelling to read about? What book that has a dark secret at its heart would you recommend?

Look out for The Unravelling by Thorne Moore which is due to be published on July 21st by Honno. Isn't that a brilliant title? I can't wait to read it.

'Middle-aged Karen is suddenly reminded of an incident from her childhood and just as suddenly finding Serena Whinn becomes an obsession. As she tracks down her playmates from Marsh Green Junior School. Karen finds herself on a journey into a land of secrets and lies.'  

Thank you for reading. You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

Octavo's Book Cafe and Wine Bar

On Saturday I attended the official opening and launch of Octavo's Book Cafe and Wine Bar in Cardiff Bay. Independent publisher, Accent Press has opened the book cafe on the ground floor of an old Victorian hotel on West Bute Street where Accent Press's new self-publishing company, Octavo, is located. I arrived in good time to see best selling author, Katie Fforde to do the honours and cut the ribbon.

The occasion was well attended and the buzz seemed to last all day. Chatting to writer friends, we were all in agreement that the cafe would be an ideal meeting place where we'd be surrounded by books. Some of the walls were covered in 'book' wallpaper and displayed literary quotations such as 'Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.' The book shop is well stocked with a wide range of genres including plenty of titles for the younger readers.


Hazel Cushion, founder and managing director of Accent Press, has said she was inspired to create a place where people can 'relax, browse and shop' that offers 'good food, coffee, wine and books.' From what I saw on Saturday, it certainly does that. The coffee was excellent and the food delicious. Once we'd ordered at the bar, even the table numbers came in the form of 'books'! 

The book shop will promote and sell Accent Press authors' work and it was good to meet some of these writers on Saturday. There will be writing workshops and book groups as well as attracting new custom for the Octavo publishing service. It is intended to host a range of  events including 'writer-in-residence' days. 

Before she left, Katie held an interesting and informative Question and Answer session where she was asked about her prolific writing career.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Octavo's Book shop. Do you have something similar where you live? Where do you meet up with writer friends? 

Thank you for reading. You may also follow me on Twitter @Jan BayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.