It’s less than a week until I’ll be running a workshop at the Bournemouth Writing Festival. I’ll be sharing my experience of winning a publication contract with Bloodhound Books after entering a pitch competition for The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. The workshop will include tips and hints for anyone wishing to develop skills in online pitching of a manuscript. The event is a new one on the Dorset writing scene and the programme has grown considerable since the inaugural year in 2023. I’m pleased to be delivering on Sunday 28 April 2024 alongside writing friends Paula Harmon and Alice Fowler. Do check out the full programme!
The manuscript of my latest novel is almost ready for submitting to agents and publishers. I was in the same position two years ago and it took ten months to secure a deal. I’m going to use the same approach as before. I’ve compiled a list of where to send the manuscript and will work through it by sending out submissions in batches. In the last few weeks, I’ve been polishing the opening chapters and was keen to look back to see how the first paragraph had changed during the latest revisions. The essence remains the same but little tweaks have meant the writing is tighter. Here are the paragraphs for you to compare:
July 2023, Slingback Resort
Moonlight slid through the full-length windows and illuminated the trail of their abandoned clothes across the hotel bedroom floor. Night came early in the southern hemisphere and Ashley anticipated the rest of their evening. She wanted to enjoy drinks on the terrace but it wasn’t the right time to suggest the idea. Instead, she straightened the pillow in its white cotton case and rested against it. The air conditioning pumped cool waves across their naked bodies and she longed to share the warmth emanating from James’s skin. Inhaling the briny smell of sex and sweat, Ashley moved closer and placed her head into the nook between his chin and shoulder. A sigh made her slump closer.
November 2023, Three Couples
Moonlight slunk into the hotel room and Ashley noticed how it illuminated the trail of abandoned clothes across the marble floor. James had cracked her open like a nut. She stretched on top of rucked cotton sheets until a tap on her shoulder registered. His index finger commanded that she tuck her head into the nook between his shoulder and chin. She settled into place there, and found the musky smell of him soothing. James sighed as the tension he carried evaporated. It was the same for her. She enjoyed a momentary sense of relaxation but then heat from his body pulsed and she was glad of cool bursts from the air conditioning unit.
Apologies for the extended gap between posts. Behind the scenes I’ve been busy working on my latest novel – and also a couple of pitches which I submitted as part of Bookouture’s annual pitch party on 5 December. Here are two pitches I submitted for a novel which has the working title The Upgrade.
MORIARTY x CLARK-PLATTS
During a holiday on a remote tropical island, a woman gets caught up in tensions between the local population and rich tourists. The husband she should be able to trust is the reason she’s a target. Can she escape the ensuing danger?
FOLEY x THE WHITE LOTUS
Three mismatched couples form a competitive friendship while on holiday. Amongst the flirt, the bully and the show-off is somebody with a secret. Temperatures rise and storms threaten. Who’s to blame when one of the group goes missing?
If you’d like to help me out with a little market research, please let me know in the comments which pitch you prefer. There’s another opportunity coming up with Kate Nash Literary Agency for their 2024 Bootcamp Mentorship and I’d like to get my ducks in a row.
Yesterday I was invited to join Sampford Courtenay Novel Writers to talk about The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. It was a really fun morning where I got to share lots of tips and tricks for completing a novel. If you’d like me to attend your writing or book group (so long as it’s accessible from Dorset or London), please let me know.
One of the joys of social media is the chance to meet other writers online. In response to a tweet/X where I offered an interview on The Writer is a Lonely Hunter, I was delighted to be contacted by Lucy S Johnson. I found the title of her most recent work The Sizewell Murders intriguing and I was pleased to read an excerpt. Here’s a little more information about Lucy and her work.
About Lucy
Lucy S Johnson writes crime fiction under the name of Ellis Johnson. This includes the Mary Slacker novelette duology (featuring an ensemble cast of chattering class wannabes) and her forthcoming D C I Doggett series – kicking off with ‘The Sizewell Murders’ (where a rotating cast of criminals, set in sleepy Suffolk, confront murder most foul against the backdrop of the construction of a new nuclear power facility in the area).
Writing Career: Lucy began writing seriously at about thirteen. In 1995, she started the first draft of a story about crazy film students, which would become her first novel, a retelling of Michael Powell’s ‘Peeping Tom’, featuring an array of officers, detectives, and a hapless web designer facing the bewildering prospect of online dating with catastrophic and deadly results.
Suffolk is also the setting for Lucy’s upcoming series of D C I Woolley mysteries. Novels such as her forthcoming ‘Ghost Car’ are set in or near to Beccles, while other books include a variety of different settings, in particular North London.
Lucy currently resides in Bungay, Suffolk, on her own without so much as a cat. She is a boat owner, reader, movie lover, and can actually play the guitar!
About The Sizewell Murders
In ‘The Sizewell Murders’, indie writer Lucy S Johnson redefines the crime genre for the 21st century. She takes all the well-worn but much-loved tropes fans will recognise and gives them a new spin that update the time-honoured staples of the genre. A grizzled old copper (DCI Doggett) is tempted out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a beautiful young girl (Cora – the chief nimby’s cleaner). As Simon tries to clinch the deal his problems seem to multiply – are his spoilt, rich daughters involved or implicated, can his marriage survive the strain?! In doing so she meets the high standards that all crime fans will expect – the cherry on the cake is that her writing is hilarious and she is having the time of her life as an author.
Join Lucy on her writer’s journey.
And now, onto the Q & A:
GA: What got you started as a writer?
I started a few years back – I found out that it was possible to publish your own work and promote it via Amazon in conjunction with social media channels. I just got on with it.
It’s my pleasure to welcome Deborah Klée to The Writer is a Lonely Hunter on the publication day of her fourth novel The Last Act. I first met Deborah as a host and founder of #FriSalon, a weekly tweetchat held on Fridays at 4pm BST where writers come together to discuss a writing topic, share tips and resources. Since then, I’ve been a guest on her podcast The Mindful Writer where we explored the psychological and emotion journey to becoming a writer. These activities demonstrate how committed Deborah is to supporting the writing community and it’s a laudable endeavour. However, the purpose of this interview is to discover the inside story to her latest novel, The Last Act. Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:
The Last Act
It is 1980 and Jojo Evans is living the dream. Perfect job, perfect man, perfect life – but is it all an illusion?
Jojo doesn’t think so – she cannot believe her good fortune, working as magician’s assistant to her charismatic boyfriend, The Incredible Nico, and sharing his luxurious flat is a far cry from her life in a squat working as a street performer.
Best friend, Annie Daley, isn’t so sure. Jojo seems bewitched by this new boyfriend, and Annie doesn’t trust him.
When Jojo receives an anonymous note warning her to keep away from Nico, the friends suspect it’s from a jealous fan. But the threats that follow cannot be so easily dismissed, and Jojo fears for her life. Annie volunteers to investigate, and enters the world of the Golden Globe Theatre, where nothing is as it seems.
As tensions mount to a career-making show finale, things spiral out of control. Will Jojo and Annie see through the smoke and mirrors in time to save their lives, or is this to be their last act?
With a story based in 1980 and an unusual setting, what was the inspiration behind this novel?
The inspiration was a writing prompt in a creative writing class fifteen years ago. The prompt was one word. Mirrors. We were asked to write 5k words and share 1k each time we met as a group. When I shared the 5k story, my tutor suggested it was the outline of a novel. It was the premise of this story that led me to write novels. I wrote several more novels and had three published before returning to this story. I kept the premise, characters and setting but changed the plot and set it in 1980.
1980 was a time of change. Woman were experiencing power in the workplace for the first time. The entertainment industry was being transformed with new-wave acts: Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Punk Rock. I experienced the 1980s in my teens and so it was fun to recollect those years.
JoJo and Annie are great characters. Did you set out to make female friendship significant in the story?
I don’t think I set out to write about female friendship, but it is important to me and therefore finds a way into most of my novels. Jojo and Annie’s friendship is challenged when their lives take different directions. The feelings of being left behind, envy, and bereavement are ones I’ve experienced at different stages of my life with close friendships. I wanted to explore that.
How do you decide on names and nicknames for your characters?
Sometimes I use a name generator on Google for suggestions. In The Last Act I chose the names early on, thinking I could change them later, but once I knew my characters I couldn’t – they are their names! Annie Apple-cheeks, Annabelle’s nickname, just came to me, as Jojo exclaimed it in my head. I imagine Annie with a pretty, round, and open face.
A girl I knew at college had a boyfriend called Nick and, wanting to sound Italian, he changed it to Nico. So, I borrowed from him.
The novel is written with two viewpoint characters (JoJo and Annie). Did you organise the changes of viewpoint at the planning stage?
I did. I grappled for a short while with whose story it was – Jojo’s or Annie’s. I decided it was about their friendship and they were equally important to the story. So, I gave them equal space. I love them both, Jojo for her energy and imagination, Annie for her loyalty and kindness.
Your prologue is particularly interesting as it includes interview quotes with staff from the Golden Globe following a fire at the Victorian theatre. Why did you decide on this format?
I start and finish with news reports. The Last Act is about performers at The Golden Globe Theatre competing for media attention in the hope it will launch them to stardom. Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies use a similar technique in reporting an incident in the prologue. I wanted to create intrigue and focus the reader on the theatre’s big night when the last act would offer up the next big star in the world of magic.
Danger in the novel comes in many forms. Romantic relationships are complicated and add to the jeopardy. Was this your intention when you set out to write the book?
I started with the premise of the note: If you value your life, keep away from him. I realised that this could have two meanings. The threat could come from within the relationship or from outside of it.
What’s next for you Deborah?
I have just finished writing a dual timeline novel set in WWII and 1960s, The Evacuee’s Secret. A North Yorkshire village flooded in 1966 to create a reservoir inspired this novel. I would like to write more dual timeline stories and have a couple more in my head waiting to be written.
Thank you for joining me on The Writer is a Lonely Hunter, Deborah. It’s been great to find out more about you and your novel The Last Act.
About Deborah Klée
Deborah Klée is an award-winning author of page-turning, uplifting stories about friendship, community, and emotional courage. After a career in health and social care: an occupational therapist, health service manager, freelance journalist, and management consultant, she now enjoys writing happy endings for her protagonists.
Deborah lives on the Essex coast, where she loves to walk by the sea or the surrounding countryside filling her pockets with shells, and acorns, and her head with stories.
First there was my daughter’s wedding. Here is the gorgeous girl and her lovely husband.
I wrote a poem for the happy couple and read it at the service.
Then I was in a drama showcase where I performed in a scene from Ladies Day as Pearl, a fish packer from Hull. (I even managed to crack a northern accent.)
It’s taken three years from writing the very first line of The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell to arriving at publication day. There have been many ups and downs in reaching this point, but I’m proud of this story with its mystery and underlying messages that show changes in the moral code over thirty years and provide glimpses into racism in a rural setting. Book blogger, Linda Hill has posted an insightful review covering many of the elements I hoped to get across in her publication day review here.
If you’ve ever wondered how an author spends publication day, here’s my schedule:
7am: write a blog post and send (timing has slipped a bit here)
8am: join Writers’ Hour to finish a Q&A kindly offered by book blogger Victoria Bucknell
9am: check Amazon rankings to see if the novel has made a splash (repeat hourly every ten minutes)
for the release of The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell
At two o’clock this afternoon Bloodhound Books officially revealed the cover of my new novel The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. Doesn’t it look splendid? The pumps and tote bag give a distinctly 1970s vibe to the mystery while the rest of the branding suits the psychological suspense elements. To be honest, it’s a relief to have this off my desk and going out into the world in less than 4 weeks. The final stages of bringing a novel to publication is a mixture of joy and panic. Release day is Monday 3 July but if you’d like to get your UK copy organised early, here’s a Kindle pre-order link. (The paperback version should be available shortly.) My thanks go to Suzanne Goldring, Joanna Barnard and Jacquelyn Mitchard for the endorsements.
An enthusiastic early reader has posted a five-star review on Goodreads. It’s a real shot in the arm when someone who’s read my previous books says The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is her favourite to date.
Maria and I are both published by the leading independent fiction publisher Bloodhound Books. On signing my contract, I was encouraged to interact with other Bloodhound Books authors through a private Facebook group. This was where Maria and I met and we’ve taken this connection to a new level through this interview. I’m sure you’ll find Maria’s writing journey inspiring and her debut novel a sinister yet fascinating story. Here’s the blurb for The Devil’s Own.
A set of century-old diaries found in an attic draws an Irish couple into a tale of murder and madness, in this absorbing new suspense.
After forty years in the Irish army, Brian is looking forward to retiring and spending time with his wife—though he worries about adjusting to civilian life. While clearing the attic before they move house, he makes a discovery: three journals dating back to the early twentieth century.
One was written by Arthur, an ex-Connaught Ranger; another by Arthur’s wife, Edith, a colonel’s daughter; and the third by Henry, a British soldier and Arthur’s best friend.
Brian and his wife are soon engrossed in reading the diaries and following the intertwined stories of these three people from the past. But it soon becomes chillingly clear that these diaries contain more than the daily adventures of ordinary lives. Because one of the three is a killer . . .
Thank you, Maria, for joining me on The Writer is a Lonely Hunter and agreeing to answer the questions that struck me while reading your impressive debut novel.
What steps brought you to write The Devil’s Own?
The gem of the idea for this book has been lying dormant in the back of my mind since I first saw the Curragh Camp, way back in 1978. I was working, waitressing with my mother at a dinner dance in one of the messes. My career as a waitress was very short-lived! During a break over a cup of tea, we got talking to the army chef about the building we were in, the history of the camp and the general consensus on the night – if only walls could talk.
Little did I know I would end up living in the camp, albeit for a short time around 1993. The Curragh is filled with history, going back to the days of British rule. My husband was born in the Curragh, grew up there. At one stage it had a vibrant community, completely self-contained. I was fascinated by the stories I heard from his family and our friends about the people who lived in the camp. I didn’t write them down at the time. It would take another forty years for that first spark of an idea to come to fruition.
In December 2022, Chris Dawson, a former PE teacher and rugby league star was sentenced to 24 years in prison by the New South Wales Supreme Court in Australia for the murder of his wife decades earlier. Although Lynette’s body has never been found, The Teacher’s Pet podcast shone a light on Chris Dawson’s sordid affair with a pupil from the school where he worked, the obsession with her that followed, and the disappearance of his wife. Release of the podcast hosted by Hedley Thomas in 2018 finally persuaded police to reinvestigate the case and charges were brought.
I became hooked on true crime podcasts in early 2020. At the time, I was living in a remote town in the north west of Uganda and volunteering at a nearby refugee settlement. The power supply was very unreliable and cuts happened most evenings at eight o’clock. With no light to read by, I was often in bed and under my mosquito net around the same time. The nights were long and hot so I spent many hours listening to the podcasts I’d downloaded at a local hotel. I developed a fascination for crime stories from around the world but it was the series podcasts that allowed me to tune into the twists and turns that created crucial listening. It occurred to me I could learn something from the way podcasts were put together that could inform the plotting of my own fictional writing.
Prior to leaving for Uganda, I had established a regular writing routine which meant getting up early to focus on a writing project before the working day started. I hoped to continue this routine while living overseas but the demands of volunteering on the settlement and the inconsistent electricity supply put an end to that ambition. Power in the town kicked in for about 40 minutes at seven in the morning, and at that time there was always a rush to prepare for the day ahead where I worked with colleagues to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of refugee families fleeing conflict in South Sudan. It was challenging and rewarding work which left little headspace for creativity. Instead, I became absorbed in the refugee stories I collected as part of my work, and the podcasts I listened to each evening. With a wealth of material stored away, I was empowered to write again following repatriation to my home in Dorset, UK due to Covid-19.
the writer is a lonely hunter 