The Next Big Thing

Influenza has kept me low and made me late posting this month. January was a beautiful month as far as the weather was concerned. As usual we had much more sunshine than my friends in the UK. It was also a sad month with the loss of a very dear friend Stuart Cooksey – it was pneumonia that took him but he’d been diagnosed with another tumour whilst in hospital, so his days were limited anyway. His funeral was beautiful, a wicker coffin, flowers and kind words from family and friends. For me to discover the delight that my mentions of him in The Haphazard Gardener had brought him such joy, gave us great pleasure on such a sad day.

The daily promotion of my books stopped. There is a constant need to market and promote when you’ve self-publish, to build up your audience, to remind people who you are and what you do. Alex Martin sent me The Next Big Thing - A set of questions to promote your next work and help to market the current one. So thank you Alex.

The questions as follows: -

What is the title of your next book?

The working title of the manuscript is called Seeking Solace. It is a lot more cheerful than Alice. Luckily enough Madge Hoberton is a strong enough character not to allow her son to bully her.

Where did the idea come for the book?

Gossip.  A remark made by an elderly lady whilst on a cruise.

What genre does your book fall under?

      

Romance.

What actors would you choose to play the parts of your main characters in a movie rendition?

I found this very difficult to answer because I don’t watch a great number of movies. And I’m not very good at remembering the actors when I do. However, I would want Dame Judi Dench to play Madge Hoberton, Emilia Fox to play her daughter Bonnie. The male role was the most difficult – Colin Firth with a Darcy type of attitude (although that’s not quite correct).

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Recently widowed Madge Hoberton knows exactly the intentions of her son Fabian for her last few years; still one step ahead Madge finds the perfect solution.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I would self-publish once again.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The manuscript isn’t complete. I wrote 56K words during the month of November. I didn’t keep to my outline and felt I needed a break from it. I have just begun to work on it once more, now my article for the Hardy Plant Journal is complete.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I can’t. I’ve not read any books with a similar theme, although I am sure they are out there. I am reading a wide range of genre at the moment, memoir, books by new author friends, chick-lit, even children’s books.

What or who inspired you to write this book?

The desire to write is my main inspiration. Years ago my only wish was to garden and to propagate, with a hobby to paint and write in that order. Now my daily priority is to learn my craft as best as I can. My husband is also my greatest inspiration. He recognises my need to be busy – constantly.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

This story is about hope…that even with advancing years you do not have to wait around for your time to end. There are always things to do, plans to make. Madge is a little taken about when she faces the reality of her son’s intentions and expectations of her. It is not however out of vengeance that she makes the decisions that she does…it is out of a need to embrace life to the full.

I would like to tag the following five authors. They are all people whose writing I enjoy greatly.

JaneRisdon Patsy Collins Joanne Phillips Sue Johnson Terry Tyler