The boat 'MISS BAUDET' is a garden, party venue, writers' retreat and HQ for serious meetings with my publisher David

Wednesday 27 December 2017

Characters


Selling my soul to the Devil. Or is it to the Angel? Is it wrong to let real people pay their hundred squids or so to become all-important parts in the unfolding story of Florida Key, as I weave their way into the plot?

I don't know, but I think not. I hope not.

After all, it's been an incredible way of crowd-funding - enabling this 'ere writer to do da writing instead of da decoratin'.

And here's a couple of examples - Kerry and Chris, who are 'Kerry and Chris', firstly located
in Anna Maria Island, Florida - and then latterly in Plainfield, Indiana.

Tuesday 26 December 2017

What's It All About


There's more to writing a book than just writing the book, you know. Not only do you have to do countless edits and rewrites, there's also the matter of publicity press releases - and the all-important cover. Is it all worth it, I constantly ask myself. Some days the answer is no, but thankfully, more often than not, I say yes.


Below is my third try, and it still didn't make the grade. 

It's the cover where you have to try to get across, in a limited number of words, what it's all about. Not as easy as you may think, and I know from raw experience. I attempted several times, and then gave up, concluding that my publisher would be far better at the exercise than me.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY (147 words)

A keen cyclist, 17 year-old Oliver Markland goes on holiday to Florida, and while there he buys an old key from a flea market. He discovers later that it was actually a prison cell key, and he becomes obsessed with learning about one of the inmates, Yushi Yakamoto, an American young man of Japanese parentage, who had always professed his innocence until his execution for the brutal 1981 killing of Sandy Beach while on his epic cycle ride across the United States during that year.


In his new job as investigative journalist for a local newspaper, Oliver hopes to clear Yakamoto’s name and returns to America, determined to uncover the truth about what really happened in 1981. But in doing so he stirs up a hornet’s nest and finds himself in present-day danger from the man who for years had thought he’d gotten away with Sandy’s murder.

Monday 25 December 2017

Slogging Away


If anyone tells you that it's easy to write a book - don't believe them.

It's Christmas Day, and I should be sleeping like a log since Christmas eve, waking up late and taking it easy.

What do I do instead? Wake up at 3am and think: "I've got an hour or so to get on with some editing from the Editor's notes," and get cracking with another chapter.

At this rate, I'll be finished - properly finished - by mid January. But I have to be disciplined to achieve my goal.