Chat with Author

Re: STAR GAZING - book giveaway

littlereader — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:44:48 GMT

There's a giveaway of A Lifetime Burning over on my blog The Littlereader Library. Also a chat with Linda. x

STAR GAZING - book giveaway

lindagillard — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:52:04 GMT

FYI: there's a STAR GAZING book giveaway on a US romance blog. I've guest-blogged on the subject of older heroines - "Forty-something Feisty Females".

You just have to leave a comment or a question for me before Jan 12th. There aren't many comments so far, so you'd be in with a good chance. See http://tinyurl.com/ydt4ujq

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

lindagillard — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:30:01 GMT

Generally it's not that bad. Snow falls as rain in the islands. When we did have snow it wasn't heavy and didn't last for long unfortunately. I say unfortunately because the mountains and beaches looked so beautiful covered in snow.

I lived on Skye for 6 years and my husband lived on Harris for 4. When we moved to Scotland people were constantly saying "How do you stand the cold?" forgetting that the West coast was much warmer than where we'd come from - Norfolk!

On the other hand Skye did have 50 consecutive days of rain in 2009!

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:17:17 GMT

froglady:

And also a house/cottage in the Scottish islands that I could do my writing, reading and listening to music. Fingers crossed.

Bet you wouldn't want to live there in this weather though Sal?? l feel for Penny (Tolly) at the moment, it must be very bleak where she is at the moment.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

lindagillard — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:30:27 GMT

Thanks Sal. Glad you enjoyed it. STAR GAZING should also hit the spot - it's quite similar.

froglady:
please is there a Calum somewhere for me? I want one.

Get in line... :-)

Property is cheap in the islands so maybe you'll get to live your dream. When we bought a little house by the sea on the Isle of Harris years ago for £40k (including its contents) the estate agent joked, "Buy one, get one free." Depopulation of the islands is quite a problem, especially in the outer isles.

In EMO GEO I mention Ian Stephen's poetry. He's a real Hebridean poet, not a figment of my imagination, so you might like to look him up. Some of his anthologies are illustrated with wonderful photos he's taken.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

froglady — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:52:03 GMT

Just read my first Linda Gillard book 'Emotional Geology' and loved it. Got it out of my local library and started it in the afternoon and finished it by the time I went to bed. I loved it and, having been on Skye last summer, could picture some of the scenery and beauty. Have got the others now, one from the library and one as a swap, and can't wait to read them as well.

The poetry in the book is the sort of poetry that I like to write and read. The book spoke so much to me; please is there a Calum somewhere for me? I want one. And also a house/cottage in the Scottish islands that I could do my writing, reading and listening to music. Fingers crossed.

Cheers,

Sal

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:30:45 GMT

l don't mind books or films moving about from one time frame to another but my Mum hates it as she can't concentrate on them properly.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

lindagillard — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:09:13 GMT

annie130:

Blimey Linda, you can't half write!! I finally got round to reading A Lifetime Burning and thought it was absolutely wonderful - here's my review http://forums.readitswapit.co.uk/forums/p/66373/633429.aspx#633429. If your new one's anything like, those publishers must be nuts... I mentioned before that I'm reading for Romantic Novel of the Year this year, and some of the old twt (Welsh term...!) being published AND put up for an award just because it ticks boxes for some identifiable genre horrifies me...

Thanks Annie. I've replied at length in response to your review.

HOUSE OF SHADOWS is similar to ALB, without all the controversial elements. It's also a normal chronological narrative which makes it much easier to follow. But it's another book about an extended dysfunctional family, mixing comedy and tragedy with quite a bit of romance. The template I had in my head was REBECCA but I think there are elements of ATONEMENT too.

The setting is a Jacobean mansion on the North Norfolk coast and the story concerns a very successful female children's author and her 5 adult children - 4 daughters and her beloved son and youngest child Alfie (one of 2 heroes) on whom her most famous literary creation was based. The family has secrets (naturally!) and when Alfie's girlfriend comes to stay for Xmas, these are gradually exposed. (Ch 1 is on my website under NEWS if you're interested in a taster.)

HoS is the only book I've written with which I felt completely happy when I'd finished writing it, so it's been very hard to have it rejected so many times.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:06:49 GMT

annie130:

wyres:
Do tell us what it means Annie. l'm thinking something like twaddle.

The full phrase is "twt lol" + twaddle's just about the right translation...!

Not a bad guess then.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

annie130 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:47:28 GMT

wyres:
Do tell us what it means Annie. l'm thinking something like twaddle.

The full phrase is "twt lol" + twaddle's just about the right translation...!

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:30:08 GMT

annie130:

If your new one's anything like, those publishers must be nuts... I mentioned before that I'm reading for Romantic Novel of the Year this year, and some of the old twt (Welsh term...!) being published AND put up for an award just because it ticks boxes for some identifiable genre horrifies me...

Do tell us what it means Annie. l'm thinking something like twaddle.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

annie130 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:58:06 GMT

Blimey Linda, you can't half write!! I finally got round to reading A Lifetime Burning and thought it was absolutely wonderful - here's my review http://forums.readitswapit.co.uk/forums/p/66373/633429.aspx#633429. If your new one's anything like, those publishers must be nuts... I mentioned before that I'm reading for Romantic Novel of the Year this year, and some of the old twt (Welsh term...!) being published AND put up for an award just because it ticks boxes for some identifiable genre horrifies me...

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:45:07 GMT

lindagillard:

They're looking for something that ticks all the boxes. That is likely to be a clone of some recent bestseller. (Believe it or not, what editors are looking for now is yet more vampire books - as if the market wasn't flooded with them already.)

That's interesting Linda and is probably why we all saw similar books to the Da Vinci Code being published following it's popularity. l suppose in some ways we as readers will buy into that genre of books be it Da Vinci style or Vampire style as we might have read them and enjoyed them initiaIly and think well that was good to read lets try this one it looks very similar/the same.

lindagillard:

As a rejected author you have to find a way of believing there is no correlation between quality and what gets published. It's not difficult to believe this when you look at the big picture and read about a 5-novel deal handed to a footballer's girlfriend, but when it's your own book being rejected, the temptation is to think that you failed, that your book was measured and found wanting.

All rejection means is, they didn't want it. It doesn't mean it wasn't good.

That's so true as not all mass marketed books are that well written and people buy into the hype. Likewise with the footballer's gf ideal they will sell quantity regardless of quality beacuse of who they are and not how they write or what they write about.

As for rejection l do agree with what you've said. Rejection doesn't mean it wasn't good.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

lindagillard — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:44:04 GMT

wyres:
All any Author can do l suppose is keep their fingers crossed.

Yes - stay positive and keep writing. Easier said than done!

The challenge (especially when you start out) is to accept that rejection probably has very little to do with the quality of the manuscript. As readers you'll know that trashy, incompetent books do get published and I can assure you some good ones don't. The trick is to continue to believe in the merits of your book even though no one wants it. You have to remember it's very easy to find reasons not to publish a book (No.1 = "It might not sell in shedloads") and that's what agents and editors are looking for - reasons to say no. They're looking for something that ticks all the boxes. That is likely to be a clone of some recent bestseller. (Believe it or not, what editors are looking for now is yet more vampire books - as if the market wasn't flooded with them already.)

I suppose Pollyanna would say the good thing about a book being rejected so many times is that it becomes clear there's nothing seriously wrong with it because editors find different reasons to reject. One editor (who nearly bought HoS) praised my dialogue. (The editor who bought STAR GAZING said she bought it for 2 reasons - the dialogue and the hero.) The most recent editor to reject HoS said the dialogue "held up the plot."

As a rejected author you have to find a way of believing there is no correlation between quality and what gets published. It's not difficult to believe this when you look at the big picture and read about a 5-novel deal handed to a footballer's girlfriend, but when it's your own book being rejected, the temptation is to think that you failed, that your book was measured and found wanting.

All rejection means is, they didn't want it. It doesn't mean it wasn't good.

Re: Some STAR GAZING news

wyres — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:14:51 GMT

l was just curious regarding the Publishing side of things, l wasn't sure whether or not foreign Publishers could be sourced like that. l kind of guessed that Agents would work from the top down when approaching Publishers. lt's bound to be very disheartening when you've put time into a book and in some cases become emotionally involved with them to be turned down.

All any Author can do l suppose is keep their fingers crossed.

Thanks Linda for your reply.