Getting To Know... Jane Risdon

Today on Getting To Know... I have the extremely lovely Jane Risdon, a multi-talented author of crime, fiction and mystery. 

You previously worked in the music industry, can you tell me anything about what you did and what it was like?

Life in the music business is crazy. My husband and I managed recording artists, musicians, singers and singer songwriters as well as record producers. We took on a couple of actors too. We were responsible for every aspect of their careers, sometimes from a very young age, taking on Guardianship of those under age. Everything to do with their musical life is under a manager’s control – direction, genre, creating opportunities, finding and negotiating deals (record, publishing, tour agents and merchandising, tour managers, tour sound engineers and lighting guys etc) and outlets for their material or talents, their image, finances, expenditure, the hiring and firing of a team, and so on.

Managers run their lives and often their private lives too. In return managers get little time to themselves. We didn’t have a private life, holidays and so on and we were on call 24/7 52/12. If the act succeeded, the artist was the hero and if they failed, the manager was the villain. Managers never get any credit for their hard work and efforts, financial or otherwise.  Well, rarely that is. Often the manager is financing the band for years.

It is difficult to describe a normal day as there wasn’t ever anything normal about our days that you could recognise.

Let’s imagine we are on tour with a band. A rock band with 5 members in their late teen and early twenties…asking for trouble before we begin; I should have added secret police to the list above – always on the lookout for young girls throwing themselves at testosterone filled young men. Things can get very difficult.

Anyway, this is a fast run through.

Imagine coming off stage at midnight, fighting off the groupies, doing endless interviews and meet and greets with the radio stations and local press wanting interviews and the record company guys making sure you – the manager - do your job. The manager over-sees everything remember. Then it’s either getting on a tour bus to travel through the night to the next town/city/venue, or getting on a plane and flying to wherever for the next show.

The crew will have broken down the gear whilst you travel and they probably come on afterwards if by road, and if by air, then you wait for them to get their stuff sorted and you travel together, unless you have your own private plane. The tour manager will oversee the gear setting up and breaking down as well as supervising onstage and off stage sound engineers and lighting crews. He and the crew is under the control of the manager. There might be a party to go to before leaving the venue/city etc, but mostly our guys wanted to go to bed….the secret police made sure they went alone!

You all arrive at your destination, probably worn out.  You book into the hotel which the tour agents will have arranged with the record company and the manager. Hopefully no-one has forgotten! Everyone falls into bed but the manager will be last having checked everything for the following day, made phone calls, sent emails, working on behalf of his/her other artists as well, if he has them. Press calls, radio interviews and video and television appearances will be arranged and negotiations for recording budgets and studios decided, use of music on soundtracks for TV and Movies and Adverts arranged and so on….it never ends. Don’t forget any problems with the band, the crew or whoever has to go through the manager to deal with.

Up with the lark the band has a 5am live radio chat show to get to with the local station. Breakfast follows with the radio station big wigs and DJs and the manager has to be working them hard. Next comes a series of press interviews, possible events in local shopping malls, stores and other such outlets. Possibly a live performance at local music stores and video stations. There might be a video to film for promotion or for the next record coming out. There are often record company staff on the tour and also an overall radio station liaison person too. Lots of people to control and keep happy.

Lunch with local and national press, radio and other important people lined up to schmooze with the band and management.  Back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then travel to the venue or open-air venue to sound-check for the evening concert, when it all starts again.

Meantime the manager and the record company are expecting the band to come up with some new material as recording has been booked after the tour.  If the band doesn’t write then the manager will be touring the publishing companies seeking suitable material for the band to record. So time on tour is supposed to be used to write and prepare material for the next release.

Working in the music industry you travelled a lot, was there a favourite place that you visited?

This is a hard one. I cannot say I have a favourite place. I love Los Angeles as it is the centre of the entertainment business globally. It is a ‘can do’ sort of place. It is easy to make connections, to get things happening there. The whole place is geared to making deals and producing something. But, it is also an easy place to fall into so many traps and has seen the downfall of many hopefuls and wannabes.

Taipei in Taiwan isn’t Hollywood but in some respects they have the same attitude. They want to make things work and they are determined people.  I like doing business with the Chinese. The Singaporeans are the same. Business orientated and serious about what they undertake.

Have you always known that you wanted to write your own novel?

I think so, yes. I used to mess about as a child, writing short stories and little bits and pieces.  I loved reading. So my imagination was active and I thought I wanted to be a ballerina and an actress at first. Then a singer. I see now that the creative arts beckoned me. Of course I married a musician and my fate was sealed.

You've written stories across several genres, but what is your favourite genre to write?

I love crime writing and it is what I read and enjoy the most. I love planning and plotting and working in little red herrings and playing games with the reader. The thrill is in the cliff-hanger when the reader nearly falls off their seat in surprise. Well, that is the aim. I must have a criminal mind, and it is just as well I express it in my writing. Goodness knows what I might get up to otherwise.

Do you have a set routine when you're writing or a favourite place to sit and write?

I guess my desk is my favourite place to write, I have a Dell desk top to use and the screen is big and easy to work with. But, I can also sit in bed with my computer on my lap and write too. I don’t mind that much. It depends on my mood and if I am competing with any other noises and distractions.  I often write from early morning until I nearly pass out with hunger, fuelled by endless cups of tea, and if I’ve been naughty and given in to temptation whilst shopping, some liquorice.  I may write all day and into the night and then again, I may not. I have not really got a planned routine unless I decide I need one and then I stick to it.

When you're not writing what would we find you doing?

This is a good one. What indeed. I like walking and taking photos so you may well find me lurking in a lane, wood or near a lake. I often go on ‘jollies’ with some of my numerous siblings and we will visit cathedrals, churches, lovely gardens and houses, things like that. Which means more photos.  I blog so all this ends up in the blog and photos I take are often used as my visual notes for my stories.  

I have been researching family history for over 35 years and I may well be dabbling in some research, writing things up, following leads like a detective and making contacts with possible long lost family. I’ve succeeded in reuniting various strands of both sides of my and my husband’s family over the years.

In addition to blogging and Twitter – recent addition to my day – I fiddle around on Facebook and I have a personal and an author’s page there: a massive hole to climb out of every day; I could disappear down it never to be seen again if I am not careful.

If I bother watching TV I will be concentrating on Time Team reruns, The Sky at Night and any other science or history based programmes and of course, the odd crime thriller. For the last 5 years I have been hooked on Scandinavian crime thrillers on BBC4.

And I read. I read before going to sleep and sometimes I finish a book during the night. I think I am programmed for night time activity having worked so many years through the night.

You also write a blog where you share you writing experiences, what was the inspiration behind setting this up?

Originally I started my blog so I could write for myself in private and no-one would see it and then I got adventurous and added photos. After a while I saw other peoples’ blogs and as I started to follow them I realised that having a private blog for just me was a bit restrictive. So I hit the publish button one day and the rest is history. I didn’t want it to be just writing related stuff. I imagined that would be a turn off, so I write about whatever I fancy. It might be about a ‘jolly’ out and about seeing historical places or I might do author interviews which are fun. Now and again I write about my stories and books and provide a little sampler or titillate potential readers of my work. It’s a place to natter with other bloggers and share things. If it hadn’t been for blogging I would never have met some of the most amazing writers and people I have become friends with. Some with whom I have been included in anthologies. I enjoy it a lot and it never ceases to amaze me how many people bother to follow me and read my twaddle.

Do you have a favourite character that you've written so far?

Ms Birdsong is my favourite at the moment. She is feisty, intelligent, has a wicked sense of humour and when someone first sets eyes upon her I think they are fooled into thinking she is a bit stand-offish. She is posh but not too much. She has had a good education and comes from a moneyed family but she is really down to earth. Because she is a bit of a looker some get lulled into thinking butter wouldn’t melt but she is a martial arts expert and they’d be wise to give her a wide berth if they upset her.  

She always wanted to work for the Security Services and her dreams of being another Stella Rimington (Director General of MI5 at one time) were on course until a mission with her MI6 partner and now former lover, Michael Dante, went badly wrong, and ended with her taking ‘voluntary’ retirement under a bit of a cloud.

I love anything espionage related and love spy and political thrillers. I think it comes from working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when young and being there through all sorts of amazing world events, including the time The Soviet Union kicked 50 British Diplomats out of Moscow accusing them of spying, and the British retaliated and kicked 50 of theirs out….who most likely were spies. Such exciting times….then there was the kidnapping of the Ambassador to Montevideo…

Do you have a favourite author?

I once thought I did have a favourite but actually I don’t think so. I love Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs – it is she who inspired me to take 3 forensics courses in the last year so my murder investigations and crime scenes are accurate, and the manner of death is portrayed as forensically correct as I am able.  I love Peter Robinson, Peter James, Elizabeth George, Michael Connolly, Nelson DeMille and Jeffrey Deaver…the list is endless. But I can’t pick a favourite.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

Hopefully I will complete the first 3 books in the series Ms Birdsong Investigates for publication next year. I am rewriting book one - Ms Birdsong Investigates: Murder in Ampney Parva. Book two is Murder at the Observatory and book three is The Safe House.

I am writing another one off novel called The White Haired Man, set in Mumbai at the time of the terrorist attacks there and with a Bollywood connection. Based on true events.

I have a series called God’s Waiting Room which so far is in bits and pieces, but almost completed…I call this collection of stories observational humour as they are based on my experiences of a group of elderly people over a period of time. They’ve lived in the same village all their lives, everyone knows everyone as they went to school and through WW2 together. Some of the funniest and insane people I have ever met.

In the works is a book about my life in the music business, but that is way off.

October sees the publication of an anthology of stories written by several authors in aid of Save the Children and I have a story in it. Hammer Horror icon Caroline Munro has written the forward and the book is called Madame Movara’s Tales of Terror.

Sometime this year or early next year a novel I have written with award winning author Christina Jones, is due to be published by our joint publisher, Accent Press. It is fictional, but as we have been life-long friends (she was my husband’s band fan-club secretary and a rock journalist) it has a lot of music, fashion, world events and more in it - based on what we experienced in the late 1960s – it is the story of two girls in love with the same musician. It is not a romance though.

Thanks so much for asking me to chat about myself and my writing and former career. I do hope your readers enjoy it. It has been a blast.

And a big thank you to Jane for giving such wonderful answers!

You can find more about me over on:

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00I3GJ2Y8

Accent Press:  http://www.accentpress.co.uk/jane-risdon

Author Blog: https://janerisdon.wordpress.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneRisdon2/#

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Jane_Risdon

Dark Water by Robert Bryndza - Release Day Book Blitz

Today is the release date of Dark Water by Robert Bryndza, the 3rd book in the DCI Erika Foster series, and I have an exciting extract to celebrate. 

Blurb 

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years but above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning. 

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. 

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago. 

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on. 

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth. 

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker, comes the third heart-stopping book in the Detective Erika Foster series

Extract

Dark Water

by

Robert Bryndza

AUTUMN 1990

It was a cold night in late autumn when they dumped the body in the disused quarry. They knew it was an isolated spot, and the water was very deep. What they didn’t know was that they were being watched.

They arrived under the cover of darkness, just after three o’clock in the morning – driving from the houses at the edge of the village, over the empty patch of gravel where the walkers parked their cars, and onto the vast common. With the headlights off, the car bumped and lurched across the rough ground, joining a footpath, which was soon shrouded on either side by dense woodland. The darkness was thick and clammy, and the only light came over the tops of the trees.

Nothing about the journey felt stealthy. The car engine seemed to roar; the suspension groaned as it lurched from side to side. They slowed to a stop as the trees parted and the water-filled quarry came into view.

What they didn’t know was that a reclusive old man lived by the quarry, squatting in an old abandoned cottage which had almost been reclaimed by the undergrowth. He was outside, staring up at the sky and marvelling at its beauty, when the car appeared over the ridge and came to a halt. Wary, he moved behind a bank of shrubbery and watched. Local kids, junkies, and couples looking for thrills often appeared at night, and he had managed to scare them away.

The moon briefly broke through the clouds as the two figures emerged from the car, and they took something large from the back and carried it towards the rowing boat by the water. The first climbed in, and as the second passed the long package into the boat there was something about the way it bent and flopped that made him realise with horror that it was a body.

The soft splashes of the oars carried across the water. He put a hand to his mouth. He knew he should turn away, but he couldn’t. The splashing oars ceased when the boat reached the middle. A sliver of moon appeared again through a gap in the clouds, illuminating the ripples spreading out from the boat.

He held his breath as he watched the two figures deep in conversation, their voices a low rhythmic murmur. Then there was silence. The boat lurched as they stood, and one of them nearly fell over the edge. When they were steady, they lifted the package and, with a splash and a rattle of chains, they dropped it into the water. The moon sailed out from behind its cloud, shining a bright light on the boat and the spot where the package had been dumped, the ripples spreading violently outwards.

He could now see the two people in the boat, and had a clear view of their faces.

The man exhaled. He’d been holding his breath. His hands shook. He didn’t want trouble; he’d spent his whole life trying to avoid trouble, but it always seemed to find him. A chill breeze stirred up some dry leaves at his feet, and he felt a sharp itching in his nostrils. Before he could stop it a sneeze erupted from his nose; it echoed across the water. In the boat, the heads snapped up, and began to twist and search the banks. And then they saw him. He turned to run, tripped on the root of a tree and fell to the ground, knocking the wind out of his chest.

Beneath the water in the disused quarry it was still, cold, and very dark. The body sank rapidly, pulled by the weights, down, down, down, finally coming to rest with a nudge in the soft freezing mud. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years, almost at peace. But above her, on dry land, the nightmare was only just beginning.

Robert Bryndza 

September 2016 Bookish Wrap Up

Well where did the time go? By the time I've got around to doing my September wrap up it's almost time to do my October wrap up!! Between mini Nerdling starting pre-school and me getting the flu, I've just been swamped keeping up to date with everything so my wrap up got pushed to one side, but I finally am catching up (hopefully).

Ok so firstly my Getting To Know... feature is still going strong and I've had some absolutely awesome people on again in September. If you've missed any, here they are again for you:

Claire Knight - Crime Book Junkie
Claire Morley - author of "Tindog Tacloban"
Denise Erguler - author of "The Adventures Of Shifting Jack"
Susan Moody - author of "Penny Black"
Joy Wood - author of "For The Love Of Emily"
Cassandra Parkin - author of "Lily's House"
Graham Smith - author of "Snatched From Home"
Mary-Jane Riley - author of "The Bad Things"
Dane Cobain - author of "No Rest For The Wicked"

I've got plenty of exciting people coming up too so I hope you're still enjoying reading my interviews.

Myself and my buddy reader F, finished The Count Of Monte Cristo in September (look out for that review soon) and we started our next read, which is The Essential Kafka by Franz Kafka. It's definitely a lot different to anything I've read before so we'll see how we get on with it!

September for reading was another slow reading month for me, I didn't read as much as I would have liked (small spoiler for October I think I'm getting over my slump, but shh I don't want to scare it away). The books I did read are

Panterra: The Machinist by Gary L. Ward - 4 Stars
Pumpkintown Perils: A Cozy Mystery Collection by Aubrey Law - 4 Stars
Hunted: The Zodiac Murders by Mark Hewitt - 4 Stars
Captain America, Vol. 3: Loose Nuke by Rick Remender - 3 Stars
The Fury Of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, Vol. 3: Takeover - 4 Stars
Shadow Of The Beast by Michael Fowler - 5 Stars
The Count Of Monte Cristo - 5 Stars
Time For A Short Story by Julia Roberts - 5 Stars

It was another busy month of blog tours and book blitzes in September and that will continue over the next few months which is incredibly exciting for me, I really enjoy being part of the book community and being able to chat about books!

So that's a quick over view of my bookish September, do you remember what you read in September? If not what are you reading now?

Getting To Know... Joanna Lambert

Today on Getting To Know... I am delighted to bring you an interview with author Joanna Lambert. She has been great to answer all my questions, even in the run up to the release of her newest book Watercolours In The Rain. 

You write drama driven romance, what is it about this genre that draws you to it?

I’ve always been hooked on romance. So when I began to write, it had to be romantic fiction. Although I’m not a big fan of soaps, I love the structure of a community or place of work; the interaction between individuals – the camaraderie and the tensions which occur. It spikes my imagination. My first five books had big casts – four families - but my last book and the one about to be published concentrates on three individuals. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the drama.

What was the inspiration behind your last novel, Summer Moved On?

Summer Moved On, set in Devon, was very, very loosely based on Wuthering Heights.  I wanted to explore a relationship between a middle class girl and the son of a traveller.  My central characters were Jess and Talún (a Gaelic name). However, I didn’t want him to be the same tortured, vindictive soul Heathcliff had been. Instead, I made him a bit arrogant…a sort of loveable rogue whose life has gone wrong because of various factors beyond of his control. However, deep down he’s really a decent guy. Meeting Jess proves a pivotal moment in his life.  At first they clash. Talún sees her attitude as middle class prejudice. However there are deeper motives for Jess’s dislike, one of them being his current relationship with an older woman. It reminds her of how her own mother abandoned the family to go off with a younger man. Gradually, Talún begins to understand how his behaviour colours peoples’ view of him and as he begins to make changes he falls in love with Jess. Just like Heathcliff, he eventually leaves Jess and the sequel – Watercolours in the Rain - deals with his return six years later.

Your Little Court Series, which consists of Behind Blue Eyes Trilogy and two novels that can be read as stand alones, has the main character of Ella, is she based on anyone in real life or is there any of your personality in her?

I think Ella was a mix of characters I’d known and yes, I guess there was a little of me in her. I think it’s very difficult to simply pull a character out of the air. They have to have some traits you’ve come across in other people. That is what makes them real. The series began when Ella was sixteen and ended in her mid-forties (although the next generation took over in book 5 and she became a minor character). She was someone not only clever and confident, but mature beyond her years. That inspiration came from a nineteen year old I’d worked with way back. Like Ella she was calm and nothing fazed her but if pushed too far you would get quite a reaction from her.  Ella has those feisty moments too.  

When you are not writing what would we find you doing?

I am a very active blogger.  I have three blogs – one for my books, one for reviewing for Brook Cottage Books and one general blog where I post pieces and also regularly interview people –writers, editors, anyone with a connection to writing. I also love photography and my camera goes with me everywhere.  And now I’m no longer in full time work, I love to get away occasionally whether it’s a UK destination or somewhere overseas.

Do you have a favourite character that you have written so far?

In my fourth book Between Today and Yesterday, one of the main characters, Orlando Flynn, who lives on the Costa Del Sol, has a small Spanish sidekick called Elvira. He was a mixture of streetwise and comical. A little man with a big heart who brought both comedy and emotional moments to the book.

Have you always wanted to write your own novels?

Oh yes. I‘d loved writing from an early age. I used to dream up potential plots but I don’t think I ever thought I could successfully write a novel until I was in my

late twenties. However, my first two efforts, although technically proving I had the ability to write something with a beginning, middle and end, made me realise I had an awful long way to go before I could say I’d produced something commercial enough to be published. Enrolling in Creative Writing classes helped tremendously and I read a huge amount too. Even now, in my spare moments in between writing, I read. It’s great to see how other writers structure their story and handle scenes and dialogue. It’s an on-going process - you never stop learning.

What is your favourite thing about being an author?

I’ve met and made so many friends both virtual and real since I’ve been a writer. There’s a great supportive network out there. And since finishing work I can now concentrate on something I’ve spent a lifetime wanting to do – being a writer. It’s great to escape into that parallel world on a regular basis.  If I have one regret it’s that I didn’t give up work earlier.

Do you have a favourite author?

It has to be George R R Martin.  I do like fantasy and once I’d read A Song of Ice and Fire I couldn’t stop. I found the whole series so addictive. I’m just very disappointed that we’re still waiting for the next book The Winds of Winter. Even though Game of Thrones has carried the story forward on TV, I still want to read it on Kindle.

When you're writing, can you write just anywhere or do you have a certain place that you have to be?

I do have an office where I can tuck myself away and for me that’s the best place.  When I’m in writing mode I need complete concentration on my work, with absolutely no distractions.

What can we look forward to next from you?

Watercolours in the Rain, the sequel to Summer Moved On, published on October 5th. I had hoped to tell Jess and Talun’s story in one hit but it wasn’t to be.  Watercolours moves all the characters on six years and brings the story to a conclusion.  And I’m now putting together characters and sorting out a plot for book 7 whose working title will be The Boys of Summer.

Thank you so much to Joanna for some absolutely awesome answers!

Watercolours In The Rain blurb 

What happens to the future when past and present collide?

JESS:  Six years ago Jess’s relationship with Talún Hansen was torn apart by one night of deception. He disappeared from Lynbrook village and she headed for university vowing never to let anyone break her heart again. Currently teaching in Oxford, Jess returns from holiday to an unexpected phone call and life changing news which eventually sees her returning home.

TALÚN: Six years on Talún Hawkeswood, as he is now known, is heir to his grandfather’s Norfolk farming empire. When he hears of trouble in the village due to Lynbrook Hall being put up for sale, going back is the last thing on his mind. But staying away is not an option either, not when someone he owes so much to is about to lose their home and their livelihood.

LILY: Splitting with her husband after her son Josh’s birth, Lily now works as part of an estate agency sales team.  She has always held onto her dream of finding a wealthy husband and a life of self-indulgence. When the sale of an important property brings her face to face with Talún, she realises despite the risks involved, the night they spent together six years ago could be the key to making those dreams come true.

As Jess, Talún and Lily return to Lynbrook and the truth about what happened that summer is gradually revealed, Talún finds himself in an impossible situation. Still in love with Jess he is tied into a trade off with Lily: his name and the lifestyle she craves in exchange for his son. And when a child is involved there is only one choice he can make…

To Connect With Joanna Lambert

Blog - https://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com/

Website - https://jolambertbooks.com/

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+JoLambert

Twitter - @jolambertwriter

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jolambert185

Three Weeks Dead by Rebecca Bradley - Review

Blurb

How far would you go if someone took your wife? 

Especially, if you buried her a week ago. 

When Jason Wells is faced with this scenario, he is confronted with the prospect of committing a crime that will have far-reaching consequences. 

Can young DC Sally Poynter get through to him before he crosses that line, or does a desperate husband prove to be the case she won’t ever forget? 

Review

I have never read a Rebecca Bradley book before, but that did not affect me reading this as it is a prequel to her DI Hannah Robbins series. I actually think this is a great jumping in point if you've never read her books before to get a feel for the characters. After reading this I will definitely be moving on to read her other published work in the series. 

The story follows new recruit DC Sally Poynter as she gets involved with her first case on the major incidents team and as she tries to find her place within that team. I instantly took a liking to Sally as she felt so very human, she was nervous and unsure and you could sense her feeling of wanting to fit in. She was also hard working and just needed to find her footing to gain confidence in herself. She was very relatable to me. 

I also really liked the small bits of DI Hannah Robbins that we got to see, it was a nice introduction to her from a viewpoint of a team member. She seems very good at her job, both with the investigating side as well as managing her team.

The story itself is fast paced but yet feels like a full story rather than a novella. There is just enough going on without it feeling crammed or without losing sight of the main story. The idea of kidnapping a dead body to manipulate was a new concept and I though it was done really well. The police procedure side of things was done to perfection, just enough to be realistic, but not enough for it to slow down the story. 

I think overall this was an absolutely excellent story and I'm incredibly glad that I had the chance to read it and discover a new to me crime writer. 

I gave this book a full 5 stars. 

Getting To Know... Wendy Janes

Today on Getting To Know... I have the very lovely author of What Tim Knows, and Other Stories (look out for a review coming soon), Wendy Janes.

Your debut novel, What Jennifer Knows, was released late last year, had you always known that you wanted to be an author before writing this book?

Like many people, I’d grown up thinking about the novel I’d write one day. But for decades, that ‘one day’ took a back seat. I’d jot down notes and ideas, streams of consciousness, stories, but the novel remained over the horizon. Then Jennifer’s story dropped into my lap, and I knew I had to tell it.

Your brand new book, What Tim Knows, and other stories, is a collection of six short stories. Do you have a preference between writing a novel or a short story?

I enjoy both. Novels give me the opportunity to do things like explore characters in greater breadth and depth, introduce a larger cast, and to develop a more complex storyline with sub-plots. Short stories are wonderful for focusing the mind and shining a spotlight on one character.

One thing that really appeals about writing a short story is the challenge of trying to fully engage a reader using only a few words. The other year I read some short stories by K.C. Wilder and she had me rooting for a character I’d met seconds previously. Obviously engaging a reader is vital in a novel too, but you have less time to do it in a short story.

I think it really depends on a particular story as to whether it works as a short story or a novel. On occasion I’ve started work on something that I thought would be a novel, and quite early on I’ve realised that at its essence it’s a short story. That moment of discovery is very liberating.

When you're writing, do you have a certain ritual that you need to complete or a set place that you need to be?

I don’t have any rituals, but after I’ve made my early drafts in longhand, I redraft and edit many times on my PC, which is situated in the corner of my dining room. I spend hours of my life in my little corner with its tiny desk, and bookshelves filled with fiction and non-fiction titles, cards and photographs. I also have a particularly comfy office chair - rather important, seeing that I spend so much time sitting in it! My corner is very cosy during chilly winters because it’s right beside the radiator.

Do you have a favourite character that you have written so far?

I have a number of favourites, but I think my funniest is Gerald. In What Jennifer Knows, he’s been married to Jennifer for many years, and while sometimes he appears critical of her, he loves her deeply, and is still capable of surprising her with his capricious nature. He’s a talented and successful sculptor, very outspoken, and has a sharp wit. On occasion he’ll behave like a spoilt child, and perhaps his emotional intelligence isn’t always his strong suit. He’s an English eccentric, and he never fails to make me smile when I think of him.

I imagine if I met Gerald I’d be quite in awe of him, and probably wouldn’t dare to disagree with him, although I might tease him and encourage him to share his outlandish views on politics. I’d love to hear him talk about his sculptures and how Jennifer inspires them, but he’s sometimes rather reticent at talking about the more serious aspects of his life, so I guess I may have to settle for an anecdote or two about his wild youth or the state of the art world today.

You are a freelance proofreader, can you tell me more about what that entails?

I check proofs for grammar and spelling errors, typos and inconsistencies, and identify some basic formatting issues. When proofreading I make sure I respect the author’s voice, and avoid imposing every single grammar rule slavishly. For example, often authors will use fragments, ie partial sentences. If it sounds right and fits with the rest of the style of the book, then I don’t interfere with this.

Prior to taking on a client I always encourage him or her to ask questions, and during the proofread I sometimes send an email or two to get feedback on decisions I’m planning to make. It’s very important that I keep in mind that this isn’t my book, it’s the author’s book, and I’m using my skills to help make the book the best it can be.

I always read through every manuscript twice, marking up a hard copy each time, and then I input my corrections onscreen using track changes. I run an extra check prior to returning a proofread where I set a track changes document beside a track changes accepted document to ensure I’ve not introduced any errors myself. I return both copies to the author, along with comments on any outstanding issues, plus another document of additional notes that works a little like a style sheet for authors.

When you're not reading or writing what would we find you doing?

I work for The National Autistic Society’s Education Rights Service (see below for more on this). The rest of my time is spent with family. My sons are grown up (one still living at home), and I have two granddaughters who are an absolute delight.

Do you have a favourite author?

Can we narrow it down to an author who is currently alive? If so, I think I can narrow it down to my favourite two right now: Liane Moriarty and Maggie O’Farrell. I love their vivid characters, the captivating storylines, and the way they combine pathos and elements of the absurd in their writing. Oh, and they both craft some fabulous sentences that have me going ‘Wow!’

You are a caseworker for The National Autistic Society's Education Rights Service, can you tell me more about what you do in this important role?

I’m part of a small team who advise parents over the phone and via email, helping them ensure that their children receive the right educational supports to meet their special educational needs. While we use the law, regulations and codes of practice to do this, our focus is on encouraging negotiation between parents and schools, and parents and local authorities. It’s vital that everyone’s voice is heard – including that of the child. However, if parents and teachers are trying to score points off each other, the child gets lost, so encouraging everyone to listen with respect is central to the way we work.

It’s a privilege to work with families who contact the service, and I get a warm fuzzy feeling when we achieve a positive outcome.

If you could give your younger self any advice about your writing journey, what would it be?

‘Get started earlier. No one is going to come knocking at your door asking to publish your notebooks full of jottings. Don’t wait until middle age to start writing for an audience and publishing your writing.’

What Tim Knows has only just come out, but what can we look forward to next from you?

I’m working on another novel, very much focused on one family, and I’m writing some more short stories that I’d like to put together in another anthology. I also have a completed short story, which is a bit of a departure because it has more comedy elements than usual. I’d love to find an anthology to submit it to. So if anyone is putting one together, do get in touch.

Thank you so much to Wendy for answering my questions and giving such wonderful answers.

There are plenty of ways to connect with Wendy

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14433891.Wendy_Janes

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Wendy-Janes-976051022455216/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/106071781880105004637/posts

Twitter - https://twitter.com/wendyproof

Website - http://wendyproof.co.uk/about-me/

Blurb

A gallery-owner’s quest for beauty; a dancer in danger; a new mother struggling to cope with her baby; a sculptor’s search for inspiration; a teenager longing to live in the perfect family; a young boy lost and confused by the rules of life that everyone else seems to understand.

Six stand-alone short stories, spanning five decades. Each capturing a significant moment in the life of a different character. 

Separate lives linked in subtle ways.