Writing Book Reviews
This is something that I find quite difficult to do because:
(1) that old chestnut of ‘not having time’
(2) I don’t find it easy to write a summary of a plot without giving the game away.
(3) When I’ve finished a book that I’ve enjoyed, I need to let it ‘settle’ in my head for a while, as I work out what feelings I’ve experienced while reading and how the author has achieved these effects.
I love reading detailed reviews on other people’s blogs, and that brings me to number (4) There are often so many excellent summaries and insightful critiques of a book that I’ve read, it seems a better use of my time to direct people to the relevant sites, as in this previous post so I’m delighted that there are so many enthusiastic book readers and reviewers out there. And yes, of course I’m doubly appreciative of reviews for my own novels!
Yesterday I was thrilled to get this wonderful review from a highly accomplished writer, Robin Lewis of Left Lion, a printed and online culture and listings magazine which covers Nottingham, with a specific focus on the local music and arts scene. (I love the first statement: “Unhappy families are always more interesting than happy ones”, though for me, it’s only ‘true’ in fiction!)
(The Lion logo makes more sense when you know that it was named after a stone lion outside the Council House. )It’s the place where I did my MA in Writing (and also where my son was born, over thirty years ago) so I have great affinity with the city. You’ll also see Robin’s detailed on-line interview with me, if you scroll down after the review.
Getting published is hard enough, but marketing your book is even harder, especially when you are your own publishing house. So I’ve been very heartened recently to find yet more insightful critiques. It’s fascinating to find how different people react to the characters in Paper Lanterns – I can see that it makes for a lively discussion for book groups, as you can tell from this extract below from the friendly group in Tennessee (holding their own paper lanterns on the evening of their discussion).
I’ve mentioned them in a previous post but I’ve just realised I haven’t explained how they discovered this novel. It’s not (yet!) available in bookshops in the U.S. so I’d thought that Tammy must have found out about it from the review on Rhapsody in Books, but no. Tammy explained how she’d Googled for Book Club Reads and then had arrived at a new on-line book group based in Birmingham (UK)
They’d wanted to choose a book by a local author, and Paper Lanterns was one of them. Tammy had followed the link to my Amazon page and had liked what she saw, so she contacted me via this site, and the rest is history.(I’ve hidden a few phrases that might have given awat too much for those who haven’t yet read the book)
“Everyone could relate to the family drama– we had a deep discussion about how things were probably hidden in every family from different generations, and which generation we could most closely relate to at this point in our lives.
Most thought that at first it was hard to keep up with the characters (who was who) until we kept reading and then it all fell in place. We also talked about how it took a talented writer to be able to pull that off like you were able to do. (smiles)
Ann was a huge discussion– we wondered if there was a reason she was made to sound so homely looking.
Also, the way you portrayed Vivienne as such an uncaring mother, xxxxxxxxxxx was a big discussion. No one could relate to how a mother could be so cruel to her child (the negative remarks she would make). It takes a great writer to be able to evoke these kind of emotions in the reader.
We all loved your writing style and thought you did an excellent job with the descriptions of Hong Kong and the surroundings. And, the way you left xxxxxxxxx (the ending) left the reader thinking long after the novel was finished…..We have all passed our copy of the book on for others to enjoy. (so many people in our area will enjoy your talent)
It’s so nice to know that my novel is being read so widely - though anyone reading this on my blog will see that my books can be ordered here from anywhere in the world with free P&P. I’ll soon be sending off a package of 13 copies of paper Lanterns to a book group in Italy.
And of course, there are the wonderful Bookcrossers to spread the word!
– I’ve been given links to the ‘Journeys’ that several copies of my book are making and it’s been fascinating to read their responses.
My Hat & Changing my Mind about my Cover
If you’ve missed taking parting my Book Cover Design Challenge, you can still see the seven covers by clicking here.Even if you did receive one of the one hundred and fifty five I.D. numbers that I sent out to each entrant, you might want to remind yourself of the other pictures.
This afternoon I spent a happy couple of hours in Hudson’s Coffee House in the middle of Birmingham, drinking hot chocolate and chatting with a group of Bookcrossers. Because five of those I.D. numbers were going to be randomly selected, I wanted to make sure that all the entrants would know that everything had been conducted in a fair and proper manner,
so five of the group each drew one number out of the nice warm hat I’d been wearing:
From left to right: Matth3w, LyzzyBee, Heaven-Ali, Paraglider(that’s me!) Megmac and Nordie. (the little strips of paper they are all holding are the winning ID numbers)
With a big THANK YOU to Beckydore for volunteering to take this photo!
The winners (who will receive a free copy of Paper Lanterns as soon as it’s ready in a few weeks’ time) are:
ID no.16, Marilyn Ricci from Soundswrite, Leicester poetry group)
ID no. 27, Giles Osborne (from Cannon Poets, where I first ‘came out’ as a poet)
ID no. 51, Helena Brooke Carter (a friend from our long-ago school days)
ID no. 66, John Payne (latest book: The West Country: a cultural history )
ID no. 153, Sarah Jakeman, a gifted novelist and friend
When I set up this challenge, I didn’t want to ask people to vote for their own favourite, because I already knew which one I was going to use. Therefore, the only fair question seemed to be, ‘Which cover do you think that the author likes best?’
As an after thought, I added (truthfully) that I’d also be interested in hearing their views. Although I also said, ‘I might need to think again if enough people choose a different version!’ it honestly hadn’t entered my head that I might have to do just that!
Although I was delighted by the quality and thoughtfulness of the responses, I was becoming increasingly uneasy with each new entry – the cover which I had liked the least was leading the field from the start with seven out of the first ten entries.
I tried to convince myself that this would change as more entries came through, and I clung to that hope while 17 out of 30, then 22 out of 40, 26 of 50 and 32 of 60 consistently followed that preference. By the time the 100th came through, and 56 people had selected that same one, I knew I had to take notice of what was being said.
‘It’s your book, you should use the one you want,’ my friends said, but my brain doesn’t work like that. I can start off by being very clear about my own opinions on all sorts of things, but when I’m presented with other views on the matter, I look more closely at the basis for my decision in the first place and try to weigh up the various pros and cons.
In this particular case, one of the things I hadn’t fully considered was the importance of the instant impact: one of the main purposes of the front cover of a novel is to attract the attention of the viewer - either in the bookshop, where they’ll pick up the book itself, turn it over, read the blurb and the first page, or on-line, where they might scroll down for more information, and maybe click on Paypal, and add it to their basket.
I’ll be posting more soon about the different choices and comments, and why I had to change my mind, but didn’t mind it.
Paraglider’s three times lucky december
BEFORE YOU READ ABOUT Paraglider’s Three Times Lucky December,Click here for my BOOK COVER DESIGN CHALLENGE and give yourself the chance of winning a FREE copy of Paper Lanterns(CLOSING DATE: 31st December)
DECEMBER HAS BEEN A LUCKY MONTH FOR ME, SO FAR
1) I was invited to take part in a live broadcast on Radio Wildfire to talk about my novels, The Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society, and the soon-to-be-published Paper Lanterns.
2) I received a lovely recommendation for the back cover of Paper Lanterns from prize-winning author, Linda Gillard . She is writer of uncompromisingly high calibre and her third novel, Star Gazing, was shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year 2009.
I have great respect for her judgement on literary matters, so I’m delighted that she enjoyed my novel enough to name it in the same breath as the two novelists she mentions below:
“A vivid and absorbing tale of family secrets and illicit love, observed with the keen eye of a poet. You can almost smell and taste Hong Kong. Recommended for fans of Margaret Forster and Penelope Lively.“
3) I’ve just had an article published in the Bookcrossers’ monthly newsletter. You can read it here, and see why I think that all authors should love Bookcrossers.
It’s exciting enough to think that some of the 829,653 members from all around the world might read my article, but on top of that I’ve been awarded a month’s free membership of ‘Members Plus’, and this means that my Bookcrossing name, paraglider will now display wings for the next few weeks. (It does bring other privileges, but I might not have time to take advantage of these.) Still, I feel very proud when I click on my Bookcrossing name and see those wings - the nearest I’ll ever get to being angelic!
Select the cover design for paper Lanterns
Friday 20th November UPDATE for my COVER DESIGN CHALLENGE!
(Lots of interesting responses so far - these are sent straight to my email and don’t show up on this site. CLOSING DATE: 31st December)
START of the orignal post from Tuesday 18th Nov
At long last I’ve managed to upload the seven versions of the front cover for Paper Lanterns,thanks to my sister, Jo.(Scroll down to the end of this post to see why!)
Enter this Challenge and you could win one of the FIVE FREE copies of this novel. All you need to do to, is answer this question:
WHICH OF THESE POSSIBLE COVERS DO YOU THINK THE AUTHOR LIKES BEST?
• Read these reviews by two enthusiastic Bookcrossers, Heaven Ali and LyzzyBee
• Scroll down to see the information which I sent to the designer to let him know the kind of thing I wanted ( Ideas for the Designer)
CLICK HERE to see THE ‘THUMBNAIL’ SIZE PICTURES OF THE SEVEN COVERS. (To see slightly larger versions of each individual cover*, click on each one, OR click the small box on the top left where it says, Slide Show.)
• When you have selected the cover, you think I like best, CLICK HERE to tell me your decision (this will be sent direct to my email)
Please write ‘Cover Design’ in the ‘subject’ box.
In the ‘your Message’ box, state the number of the cover you’ve chosen and make any comments - Although I’ve got my favourite, I might need to think again if enough people choose a different version!
(*The text on the cover says:
“Certainties are shattered as past and present inexorably unfold –
a deeply moving and unusual novel”Crysse Morrison, author of Frozen Summer and Sleeping in Sand)
Ideas sent to Designer,(Ian Hughes at Mousemat Design) for the front cover design for Paper Lanterns:
“I’d like it to convey that the overall mood of the book is largely optimistic, in spite of the fact that each of the three main characters have suffered loss and disappointment in their lives. I’d want there to be a hint of darkness/sadness -maybe darker green+ brown, but moving towards much lighter greens and blues.
Although the majority of the ‘real time’ action takes part in contemporary Hong Kong, I don’t want the cover to give the impression that it’s about the Chinese – as the main characters are all British, with attitudes and lifestyles to suit.
On the other hand, as I indicate in the blurb, HK itself is an important element in the story – both the contemporary one, and her grandmother’s love story from the 1930s.
Because of the book’s title, it could be easy just to plump for some images of paper lanterns, but if possible I’d like something (either abstract or representational) which can also refer back to, or hint at a key event in Ann’s life (aged 15/16) that led to the break-up of the family. The nearby woodland/park , and English trees in general, are quite significant in this particular story line.”
To find out more about my publishing venture, NOVEL PRESS, scroll down to read the previous post, Judging a Cover by its Book
Why I’m grateful to my sister, Jo
I was at my mother’s house in Sussex last weekend, and Jo, who lives on an organic farm in Cornwall, was there at the same time. We don’t see each other very often, so it was lovely to catch up on all our news. We stayed up late on Saturday night and she very patiently showed me how to use to Picasa, a user-friendly photo management site.
Have you joined the Librarything?
I’m now in my fifth month of blogging and I’m still revelling in the learning curve. It’s a mixture of past and present – looking back on the ups and downs of my own writing development, and venturing into some wonderful on-line other worlds that’ve been opened up for me by other bloggers.
I wrote last week about the Bookcrossers, and in a way, they’re the ones who inspired me to start this blog, as they’ve been so kind to me in their responses to The Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society, my first published novel.
Another amazing organisation that I only discovered a few weeks ago is the LibraryThing.
Anyone who enjoys reading anything and finds it hard to let go of a book they’ve enjoyed is likely to jump at the chance of organising/cataloguing their real books in a virtual library, where they can rate each book and/or write reviews.
This means, of course, that they can check out numerous reviews from other members, and join in lively discussions on a book they’ve just finished themselves. I still haven’t got my head round all the intricacies of it, but it’s a site I visit often – and not just to see if anyone’s sent me a message!
I was thrilled when I’d seen that someone had given my book 5 out of 5 stars . I left a message to thank her for this, and I had this lovely message back – (It also gives a flavour of the friendliness of this site.)
private notice posted by Agade at 11:07 pm (EST) on Aug 23, 2009
Welcome welcome, it’s an interesting place, isn’t it. And there’s just so much here! I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve not stumbled across myself yet.
And I gave your book five stars because it’s bloody fantastic :). Very human, funny and real in the right amounts and the right places. I shall be avidly reading anything else from your pen that crosses my path in future. Thank you for writing :).
As you can imagine, that’s a real boost to an author, four years after publication. The LibraryThing must be one of the biggest book-based clubs in the world – it calls itself that, and with its community of 850,000 booklovers, it’s probably true. (Someone reading this might be able to put me right here and tell me that there are more Bookcrossers than LibraryThing members. Whatever! Take a look at this site – if you’ve not come across it yet, it’ll blow your mind.
P.S.
I’m grateful to Nicola Morgan or alerting me to the Biggest Coffee morning in the world in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Support. I’m of to drop in to her bloggoffee herestrong>, now!
Making Changes and Poem of the Week (12)
Like most things in my life, I only get round to making a major change when I’m more or less forced into it by some outside intervention. In this case, it was having double-glazing installed in my lovely little writing room – not just the door and the big window overlooking the garden but also the French windows that we’d never opened in the twenty years since having this room added to the back of the house.
So most of today and all yesterday, I’ve been rearranging everything in this room. It opens onto the garden and is full of light on sunny days, so, with the doors and windows open it almost felt like being outside.
I hadn’t realised quite how long this would take me, and once I’d piled up all my books from the three bookcases onto the floor and every other available surface, I had to carry on. And it wasn’t just the books. The knee-hole desk I’m sitting at now has nine small drawers, and the tiny table I was using as a desk , also has a drawer, and then I’ve got a large carved camphor wood chest, and all these were crammed with accumulated papers and other odds and ends that had to be sifted and sorted.
I feel very pleased with myself now that it’s all finished, but I do regret not being able to catch up on other things I wanted to do, such as writing a post about R.J.Ellory’s inspiring talk to Bookcrossers on Friday night at Hudson’s – but that will have to wait.
Meanwhile, here’s my poem of the week:
Preservation
His mother’s fur coat sleeps under their bed.
Each night she listens as another stitch
that binds those skins together snaps.
There’s barely room to navigate the back-log
of newsprint, stacked on the carpet
like dry-stone walls.
Beneath a camouflage of photo frames
and bric-a-brac, the clenched piano
chokes on silent chords.
One winter, on the edge of Lovers’ Leap
He’d lectured her on limestone crags,
fossils of crinoids from aeons ago.
To her delight, she’s found them on the net,
sea-lilies, feather stars, swaying
and feeding in tropical seas.
Now sun slants in between the blinds
jostles motes of dust, and something
like a boulder is worked loose.
This is a poem that I first wrote at least seven years ago and was published in my small collection, Single Travellers. In spite of it also winning a place in the Ragged Raven Anthology, Writing on Water, (2005) I’d never been quite satisfied by that version (see below) so I’ve spent the last hour chopping and changing it. At the moment, I think this version is more effective, but when I read it again tomorrow,
I’m very likely to want to make other changes. (I’ve just read it again, and am not sure what I think now!)
I’d be very interested in your comments about these two versions.
Preservation
There’s barely room to navigate the decades of newsprint,
calcified narratives stacked on the carpet like
dry-stone walls. Does he believe
they can shore up the present? Beneath accretions of
photos and bric-a-brac, the clenched piano
is choking back old tunes.
Her mother-in-law’s fur coat sleeps under their bed.
At night, lying above those stitched-together
skins, she feels them stir.
Years back, on the edge of Lovers’ Leap, he
told her about limestone crags, billions of
fossils from aeons ago.
Now she’s found them on the net, sea-lilies,
feather stars, swaying and feeding in tropical seas.
All that life!
Sun edges in through smears of condensation,
its slanting shafts jostled with motes of…dust, is it?
or particles of
something more ingrained, intangible,
worked loose at last
from the boulder in her throat
The Amazing world of Bookcrossers
Becoming a published writer has opened windows onto all sorts of amazing new communities. If it hadn’t been for LyzzeeBee’s review of my novel for my publisher’s website, I might never have heard of one of the book-world’s most fascinating and subversive organisations: The Bookcrossers. If you click on this link you’ll find what they say about themselves and their activities.
I use the word ‘subversive’ because of the way they’ve spread themselves across the globe, discussing and recommending the books they’ve enjoyed (and those they haven’t), both on-line and in groups, face to face, distributing their treasures from hand to hand in a wide range of inventive ways, beyond the reaches of the orthodox book-trade.
OK, you might say, so they leave their books on park benches for someone else to pick up. They actually give books away! So why would any author want to encourage more people to pass books on to total strangers instead of getting them to part with their money and buy the product of their months or years of labour, their un-put-downable novel?
Firstly, authors want their books to be read, and to stumble across a recent review, long after your book has disappeared from the book shops, gives a shot of delight and adrenalin that spurs you on with your latest writing project.
Secondly, Bookcrossers tend to be avid collectors , and will often buy their own copy of a book that they’ve sent out on a journey. I was amazed to find out about Book-rings (I think I’ve got that name right) where fellow bookcrossers are invited to include their names on a list to receive a copy by post. The first thing I heard was that mine had made its way across the Atlantic. That same copy eventually arrived back in Birmingham,via Canada and Scotland. An awesome thought for a humble author!
Thirdly, the Bookcrossers I’ve met are friendly and enthusiastic people and provide opportunities to meet others of like mind in welcoming social situations around the world. At my first ever meeting at a cosy coffee house in the middle of Birmingham on the eve of their Unconvention in 2006, I met people, not just from all over the British Isles and Europe, but also from America and Australia.
The following year I was invited to speak at the Unconvention in Brighton. Up until 2008, the main Convention was always held in the US, but in April that year the venue was London, and I felt very privileged to speak there too, with some other Transita authors, including Susie Vereker,Alison Hoblyn and Adrienne Dines.
A few weeks ago, I was alerted to another journey that my book was making, and I was again delighted to read some more reviews that showed it was still being enjoyed in June this year.
Here’s a flavour of what a Book-ring journey is like!
Journal entry 13 by garibaldisghost from Nottingham, January 13, 2009
I really enjoyed this very readable, somewhat unusual but ultimately feelgood and heartwarming story. A further bonus being that some of it is set in Nottingham - my home town. All in all a fairly good start to 2009.
book rating: ********
Journal entry 15 by jazz-ee2 from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I know of this through the BookCrossing Convention, where I met Christine Coleman, and had intended to buy the book but somehow didn’t. I look forward to reading it, then passing on to Angellica.
UPDATE 20/06/09:
I read this book last week and while it was a little predictable I did enjoy it. There was a bit where it started to drag, and then picked up nicely - maybe it could have been a little shorter? I did love all the characters, and only hope I’m as active as Agnes when I get to her age!
To take to the Nottingham BookCrossers book meet to pass on to another BookCrosser who had said they wanted to read it.
book rating: *******
Journal entry 16 by Beebarf from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, June 20, 2009
Passed onto me at the meet, as it is a book from my wishlist.I started reading it on the train home, and I’m loving it so far - really rooting for Agnes! The Nottingham link is good, but part of the book is set not far from Horsham, where I lived for 10 years, so I know all about the (lack of) bus service - no wonder Agnes chose to hitchhike :O)
Journal entry 17 by Beebarf from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, July 10, 2009
I really enjoyed this light read - I want to be an Agnes when I get old :o)
I’ll take this to the next Nottingham meet, as I think someone else wants to read it.
book rating: *******
