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annecater
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 Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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Sally3 and I have been to quite a few author talks and signings at our local Waterstones in Lincoln (any chance you will go there??)
What has always fascinated us is that certain authors say that they write for themselves only and not for the readers, whilst others say that they write what they know their reader wants and what will sell.
What do you think?
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| windywendy wrote: | Hello Roger, nice to "meet" you.
In "Angels" the central character, Joseph, is a budding author. Is there anything about his early experience as a writer that is autobiographical? |
Making Joseph a budding author was more about creating a character who looked at life a little differently from most. That was at least the basic intent behind writing him that way. I wouldn't say that it was autobiographical as such because I didn't really 'click' on being a writer until I was in my early twenties, but I have always believed that people look at life with a slightly different perspective dependent on their professions, and being a writer I wanted to imbue Joseph with some slight degree of 'writer's perception' if you like. |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| annecater wrote: | Sally3 and I have been to quite a few author talks and signings at our local Waterstones in Lincoln (any chance you will go there??)
What has always fascinated us is that certain authors say that they write for themselves only and not for the readers, whilst others say that they write what they know their reader wants and what will sell.
What do you think? |
Moliere, the French playwright, said that first we write for ourselves, then we write for our friends, then we write for money! I'm still writing simply because I love doing it. I certainly do not and would never write because I think it would sell, but I do think that that is a trap an author can sometimes fall into. I think to 'write for yourself only' is a very limited and self-absorbed viewpoint, and I don't know the kind of books that get written from that viewpoint, but do they really engage the reader in the same way?
And yes, of course I would come to Lincoln...all it would take would be someone going to the library or Waterstones and telling them that I'd be happy to come and seeing if they were willing to put on an event. |
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Tigerlily
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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Ooh would you consider attending Morley Literature Festival in October? It's in South Leeds where I live and runs for a weekend. We've had some good names here in the past two years it's been running.
When I say attending, I mean as an author of course!
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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Glynis wrote: | | Ooh would you consider attending Morley Literature Festival in October? It's in South Leeds where I live and runs for a weekend. We've had some good names here in the past two years it's been running. |
Absolutely. You can pretty much guarantee that I'll agree to any event/festival/library/bookstore/booksigning etc., and the only reason I won't do it is because I have already another booking at the same time. But no, please check with whoever organizes such thiggs, let them know that I'd be more than happy to come, and then we'll arrange it. |
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Tigerlily
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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| cicero5 wrote: | | Glynis wrote: | | Ooh would you consider attending Morley Literature Festival in October? It's in South Leeds where I live and runs for a weekend. We've had some good names here in the past two years it's been running. |
Absolutely. You can pretty much guarantee that I'll agree to any event/festival/library/bookstore/booksigning etc., and the only reason I won't do it is because I have already another booking at the same time. But no, please check with whoever organizes such thiggs, let them know that I'd be more than happy to come, and then we'll arrange it. |
Thank you, I'll make enquiries and let you know.
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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
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annecater
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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And yes, of course I would come to Lincoln...all it would take would be someone going to the library or Waterstones and telling them that I'd be happy to come and seeing if they were willing to put on an event.
That would be excellent - I'll contact Waterstones tomorrow - thanks
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden
1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13 |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Glynis wrote: | I was going to ask a similar question based on your answers, Roger.
Is Joseph based on yourself and your experiences? He suffers so much loss but always comes through, I admired that about him. I loved his character and still think about him, wondering what he'd be doing - that must sound silly, but he was a really memorable and likeable character for me. I liked how resilient a character he is, and having lost a parent when I was small, could relate to his feelings. |
I don't think that's an inappropriate response at all! I think he definitely needed looking after by someone! I don't think Joseph is based directly on my own experiences as such, but he does have to deal with a couple of things that I found it relatively easy to write about because of my own circumstances as a child. I think that time and experience as a writer has taught me that I can more easily write about emotive things when I have had some personal experience of somehting similar.
As I said earlier, the primary drive behind fiction should be to evoke an emotion, and so I always work towards finding something that I feel people will be able to relate to or identify with. |
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heathera
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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I've just been putting my boys to sleep, and reading City of Lies whilst waiting for the youngest to drop off. Can I just say that I'm totally engrossed! It's such a compelling read. The characters are well developed, and the story line is complex but trackable. Which of your other books would you recommend that I read next having loved this one so much?! (I can't wait to find out how it's all going to end, I've got about 150 pages to go...!)
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annecater
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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I think I mentioned this to you yesterday, and I've talked to Glynis and Sally3 about it too.
There is a very small paragraph in A Simple Act of Violence that has really affected me, and I cant stop thinking about it.
Catherine has been murdered, before she died she returned her library books, the police officer looks at the list and wonders if she would have picked those books if she had known they would be the last books she would read.
That has really made me think about what book I choose to read next - I'm definitely not going to struggle on with any book that I am not enjoying now, what if it is my last??!!
It's odd how some things really affect the brain - but then I am book obsessed. I said to my Mum yesterday that it would be awful to die before you had finished the book you were reading - needless to say, she just looked at me as if I were strange!
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden
1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13 |
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Tigerlily
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Joined: 22 Jul 2006
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Birthday: 7th July
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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I was going to ask what works are in the pipeline, but you've pretty much answered that already - one due for release in 2009 and another in 2010, if I remember rightly, which is great news.
Do you have ideas for novels after these? (No pressure of course!)
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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10 |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Glynis wrote: | I was going to ask what works are in the pipeline, but you've pretty much answered that already - one due for release in 2009 and another in 2010, if I remember rightly, which is great news.
Do you have ideas for novels after these? (No pressure of course!) |
Well, 2008 is A Simple Act of Violence as you know (an epic conspiracy book). 2009 is a New York-based serial killer novel, a single narrative essentially, and much faster-paced than Quiet Belief, of course. It's more in the style of City of Lies. The one for 2010 is a human drama novel set in northern Florida during the week before and the week after Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. It's a smalltown legal thriller for want of a better description. After that's done (which should be about a month or so from now), I am going to take an afternoon off, and then I think I'll be ready for another major political-ish conspiracy thriller. That's what I'm thinking, but writers are known for their fickleness and unpredictability so we shall see! |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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| heathera wrote: | | I've just been putting my boys to sleep, and reading City of Lies whilst waiting for the youngest to drop off. Can I just say that I'm totally engrossed! It's such a compelling read. The characters are well developed, and the story line is complex but trackable. Which of your other books would you recommend that I read next having loved this one so much?! (I can't wait to find out how it's all going to end, I've got about 150 pages to go...!) |
Well, I don't know! I think perhaps 'Ghostheart' if you want to stay with a relatively straightforward thriller, but even that is a little different from City of Lies. The central character in Ghostheart is a single lonely girl who owns and runs a bookshop in Manhattan, and she discovers her own life and herself through the pages of a book. I think maybe give that one a go and see what you make of it. I would say read 'A Simple Act of Violence' but that's not out until October! |
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heathera
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Sometimes when finishing a really good read, where I'm totally involved in the story line / characters etc I have to take a couple of days off before starting another book. Otherwise I end up confusing myself and thinking too much about the previous novel rather than seeing what's in store in the next. I've heard other people make similar comments. With that in mind, how much of a break do you have between writing novels? Especially as you were saying that the characters become all-consuming of your mind.
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Currently Reading:
The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman
1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI |
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heathera
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Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Posts: 676
Birthday: 2nd November
Location: Watford, Herts
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| cicero5 wrote: |
Well, I don't know! I think perhaps 'Ghostheart' if you want to stay with a relatively straightforward thriller, but even that is a little different from City of Lies. The central character in Ghostheart is a single lonely girl who owns and runs a bookshop in Manhattan, and she discovers her own life and herself through the pages of a book. I think maybe give that one a go and see what you make of it. I would say read 'A Simple Act of Violence' but that's not out until October! |
That's great, thanks! I've been making a list here this evening of what to get hold of next and I think Ghostheart will be the next one. I also like the sound of A Simple Act of Violence. It's my birthday at the beginning of November, so I can put it down for a present idea!
_________________
Currently Reading:
The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman
1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI |
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cicero5
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Joined: 17 Jun 2008
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Birthday: June
Location: Birmingham
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| annecater wrote: | I think I mentioned this to you yesterday, and I've talked to Glynis and Sally3 about it too.
There is a very small paragraph in A Simple Act of Violence that has really affected me, and I cant stop thinking about it.
Catherine has been murdered, before she died she returned her library books, the police officer looks at the list and wonders if she would have picked those books if she had known they would be the last books she would read.
That has really made me think about what book I choose to read next - I'm definitely not going to struggle on with any book that I am not enjoying now, what if it is my last??!!
It's odd how some things really affect the brain - but then I am book obsessed. I said to my Mum yesterday that it would be awful to die before you had finished the book you were reading - needless to say, she just looked at me as if I were strange! |
Well, to answer that question precisely would be to give away something about the end of the book. I tried to reply to your e-mail yesterday, but there was/is something wrong with facebook and it wouldn't send it to you. All I will tell you is that there was a very particular reason she took those specific books out of the library and then took them back on the day of her murder. You'll have to read to the end to find out why!
And though I don't agree with worrying too much about a book before you've read it, I do agree wholeheartedly with giving up on a book that annoys you. There are too many good books out there to waste time on something you don't like! |
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Tigerlily
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Joined: 22 Jul 2006
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Birthday: 7th July
Location: Shropshire
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| cicero5 wrote: | | Glynis wrote: | I was going to ask what works are in the pipeline, but you've pretty much answered that already - one due for release in 2009 and another in 2010, if I remember rightly, which is great news.
Do you have ideas for novels after these? (No pressure of course!) |
Well, 2008 is A Simple Act of Violence as you know (an epic conspiracy book). 2009 is a New York-based serial killer novel, a single narrative essentially, and much faster-paced than Quiet Belief, of course. It's more in the style of City of Lies. The one for 2010 is a human drama novel set in northern Florida during the week before and the week after Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. It's a smalltown legal thriller for want of a better description. After that's done (which should be about a month or so from now), I am going to take an afternoon off, and then I think I'll be ready for another major political-ish conspiracy thriller. That's what I'm thinking, but writers are known for their fickleness and unpredictability so we shall see! |
This all sounds great  A Simple Act of Violence is excellent, I'm really enjoying it. I like the sound of them all, especially the one set in Florida. We've lots to look forward to 
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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10 |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| heathera wrote: | | Sometimes when finishing a really good read, where I'm totally involved in the story line / characters etc I have to take a couple of days off before starting another book. Otherwise I end up confusing myself and thinking too much about the previous novel rather than seeing what's in store in the next. I've heard other people make similar comments. With that in mind, how much of a break do you have between writing novels? Especially as you were saying that the characters become all-consuming of your mind. |
Well, that's where I fail to take my own advice, you know? I'm basically working on one book, and once I have passed about half way I'm already thinking about a new one. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's just the speed at which my mind seems to work. Last year I got to a point where I was profreading A Quiet Belief In Angels, finishing A Simple Act of Violence, and researching the 2009 serial killer novel all at the same time! It got a little confusing every once in a while, but it came out alright in the end. |
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annecater
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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| cicero5 wrote: | | annecater wrote: | I think I mentioned this to you yesterday, and I've talked to Glynis and Sally3 about it too.
There is a very small paragraph in A Simple Act of Violence that has really affected me, and I cant stop thinking about it.
Catherine has been murdered, before she died she returned her library books, the police officer looks at the list and wonders if she would have picked those books if she had known they would be the last books she would read.
That has really made me think about what book I choose to read next - I'm definitely not going to struggle on with any book that I am not enjoying now, what if it is my last??!!
It's odd how some things really affect the brain - but then I am book obsessed. I said to my Mum yesterday that it would be awful to die before you had finished the book you were reading - needless to say, she just looked at me as if I were strange! |
Well, to answer that question precisely would be to give away something about the end of the book. I tried to reply to your e-mail yesterday, but there was/is something wrong with facebook and it wouldn't send it to you. All I will tell you is that there was a very particular reason she took those specific books out of the library and then took them back on the day of her murder. You'll have to read to the end to find out why!
And though I don't agree with worrying too much about a book before you've read it, I do agree wholeheartedly with giving up on a book that annoys you. There are too many good books out there to waste time on something you don't like! |
Oh I see! I cant wait to finish it now and see what the book list means. I did think that Sally3 looked at me in a funny way when I mentioned it today - she's finished Simple Act of Violence, so obviously is in on the secret.
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden
1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13 |
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cicero5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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| heathera wrote: | | cicero5 wrote: |
Well, I don't know! I think perhaps 'Ghostheart' if you want to stay with a relatively straightforward thriller, but even that is a little different from City of Lies. The central character in Ghostheart is a single lonely girl who owns and runs a bookshop in Manhattan, and she discovers her own life and herself through the pages of a book. I think maybe give that one a go and see what you make of it. I would say read 'A Simple Act of Violence' but that's not out until October! |
That's great, thanks! I've been making a list here this evening of what to get hold of next and I think Ghostheart will be the next one. I also like the sound of A Simple Act of Violence. It's my birthday at the beginning of November, so I can put it down for a present idea! |
Absolutely! Books make the greatest presents, and if I wind up doing an event somewhere near you guys then you can bring it and I'll sign them all. In fact, I'll sign two or three and then you can sell the ones you don't want on e-bay and make some money!
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