So, as I slowly draw to the end of the Storm trilogy, I thought I would take a break from the intensity of the finale to have a chat and a cup of coffee (or tea) with you all. So, if you are curious about my writing, or just about me, why not ask me a question or two and I’ll do my best to answer it for you.
It could be about my writing, my influences, my favourite books – my hobbies, or even what TV and Films I like.
To start the ball rolling, I generally prefer a cup of tea to a coffee, usually Welsh Brew, with milk and two sugars 🙂 and, of course, a lovely Welsh Cake.
OK, I’ll bite. 🙂 Is the manuscript nearly ready for proofreading? Oh, and what is a Welsh Cake?
By: Literati on February 10, 2015
at 2:52 pm
Nearly ready 🙂 Here’s BBC’s take on what makes a lovely Welsh cake for you:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/welsh_cakes_16706
Hope you enjoy them if you give them a go 🙂
By: rangerant on February 13, 2015
at 9:30 am
Thanks for the link. Sounds lovely. 🙂
By: Literati on February 14, 2015
at 12:19 pm
Welsh cakes are amazing and don’t taste like anything else! You make dough and cook the cakes on a hot frying pan. Is Welsh Brew a brand?
I have two questions.
Are you Welsh?!
How did you break the writing barrier? The false starts, lack of perseverance, etc. That is, assuming you faced these things! 🙂
By: Emma Hatton on February 10, 2015
at 4:18 pm
Hi Emma. They (Welsh Cakes) certainly are wonderful, going to be having one (or two) with my mid-morn cuppa today 🙂
In amswer to your questions, I have lived in Wales for four years now and whilst I was born in Berkshire, I love Wales, its people and way of life here (Welsh Brew is a brand of tea from Wales – not sure if it is available outside Cymru).
It was my wife Amy, who helped me break that barrier, give me the confidence I needed to take that next step from having it sat on my laptop, to believing that I may have a story other people would like to read. Up to that point, the only real tentative step I had taken was to send, many years before, the first chapter of Whispers off to be critiqued (it was a short story back then and bare bones compared to how it appears in the book) – I had a reply saying if I could flesh out the story some more, I would have a very readable piece of fiction… so that was a big boost – but then, as life always has a way of doing, it got firmly in the way.
I struggled with balancing a full-time job and writing Shadows of a Storm, which is why, sadly, it took a lot longer to arrive – but since Nov 13, I have been part-time and that is why things have started to happen a lot quicker now. I have a routine at last.
My real barrier now, is me. I am my own worst critic and I beat myself up probably far too much over all the promotion I have to do for even one person to become aware of me. It means a lot to me when people read my book (whether they like it or not) and it keeps me going through the dark days of self-doubt.
I have a literary agent, also, which is such a boost to my confidence and it keeps me going on my path, which at times can be a lonely one.
But I wouldn’t change any of it for a second 🙂
By: rangerant on February 13, 2015
at 9:44 am