tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49766724796218324572024-03-16T09:13:17.889+00:00Fiona PearseFiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-19165008891605371532020-03-08T14:28:00.000+00:002020-03-18T20:22:33.404+00:00Where Does Poetry Come From?<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Someone asked me recently what the poem <b><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.com/p/poems.html#MyCouchSays">My Couch Says</a> </b>is about. I struggled to answer, feeling foolish. What made you write it, they pressed. I said something about the strange feeling of being so insulated from the people we see every day in the news, whose lives are dominated by war or poverty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The question reminded me of an answer a poet gave in a talk I went to some years before - he said suffering was necessary to write poetry. I disagree. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thinking something you can't express with normal language is what's</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> necessary. You must feel something you cannot speak, so it lurks in you, until it attaches to a metaphor and escapes onto the page! That's a poem. But it doesn't have to be tragic. Sometimes your thoughts just need to be constructed in second person with an upbeat rhythm to feel fully expressed.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I realise that is not just about poetry. It's about all art. To dance, to paint - these expressions carry ideas too layered for words. They tell of contradictions and parallels; They say many things at once that can only be said together. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes we ask what came first: complex thought or complex language. Since an inner voice expresses our thoughts, could we think without words? </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a concept experimented with in the book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four"><b>1984</b></a>: A language, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak"><b>Newspeak </b></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is created with limited vocabulary, to control human thought. For example, the word </span><i>love </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is forbidden in the belief that humans won't feel love without a word to think it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While it is certainly true that language shapes our perception of reality, surely that which cannot be expressed still remains inside us. Are the arts not evidence of that? Emotional cocktails finally finding a way to escape without the traditional constructs of language. Otherwise there would be no need for expression other than the form we are taught.</span></span></span><br />
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Thank goodness language is inadequate! The next time someone asks me what a poem is about, I'm going to say, If I could explain that, it wouldn't exist!</span>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-33922194979837286212019-11-03T16:33:00.002+00:002019-11-27T16:09:43.414+00:00My Other Hat<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Long time, no speak, Internet. Since we last met I got busy with writing a game app. As a software developer who likes to write fiction, developing a game is the best of both worlds. It allows me to write code for a solo project (this is what all programmers secretly want to do), and I get to create characters in a make-believe world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took a year off work to focus on this and spent some time designing a puzzle which I hoped would be fun and also challenging. I love brain teasers, so creating an original problem-solving game, incorporating a little fiction and humour was, well, just about the most fun I can have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the back of that, I got a new job</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> in a new industry, as an app developer, which I am loving! And while my efforts are now focused on that job, I am still writing poetry and hope to write more fiction in the future. Just waiting for the inspiration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So now with two books and an app on the market, it became apparent to me that while I seem to be good at creating quality products that people enjoy, I am rubbish at marketing. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've gone for some paid advertising in the Android store and have paid to advertise my books when they're free on Kindle - as they are right now! </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Here are my blog posts on previous efforts:<b> </b></span><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.com/2017/05/free-27th-may.html"><b>the experiment</b></a> and <a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.com/2017/08/advertising-results.html"><b>the result</b></a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I think it's time to take a course and focus on marketing the same way I focus on writing or coding. </span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Tips very welcome!</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00HD16RCO">Orla's Code free on Kindle UK</a> </b></span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beverly-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B017PIA928"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Beverly free on Kindle UK</b></span></a><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00HD16RCO">Orla's Code free on Kindle US</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017PIA928">Beverly free on Kindle US</a></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So while I'm looking at my options, let me end with this: Fiona Pearse is actually a pen name. When I started writing, I was still working in the industry on which my book was commenting. I thought it was important to take distance from it and using a pen name seemed like a good step. Also, my real name is a tricky Irish name - Gráinne Shannon. My first name is pronounced grawn-ya, and is generally considered the Irish equivalent of the name, Grace. Some people already know this through our interaction. But mostly, for the sake of simplicity, I didn't point it out. Apologies if you feel like I should have. By now, it's no longer necessary to use the pen name, so I wanted to be more open.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My personal website is <a href="https://grainne-online.blogspot.com/"><b>here</b></a>, where you'll find my non-fiction opinion pieces published in various magazines, plus updates on my app, Bug Hop. </span><br />
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Appality.BugHop" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1024" height="97" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gALNttvrcjs/Xb8DcWKeeEI/AAAAAAAACE0/n7AIUzp70CkZpGaRea45Qbr1ra8UubJaACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/87c195dc-e778-4d00-870f-ebd50f4722a8.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Appality.BugHop"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You might enjoy my post, </span><a href="https://grainne-online.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-making-of-bug-hop.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The Making of Bug Hop</b></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> since it's about the creative process. There are real overlaps between writing fiction and writing code!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll update in the near future about my marketing efforts. Thanks for reading!</span>
<meta content='Confession, Pen name, Blog' name='keywords'/>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-79363111281198664662017-11-11T11:12:00.000+00:002017-11-11T11:15:10.311+00:00FREE on Kindle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These 5-star books are<span style="color: blue;"> <b><i>FREE</i></b> </span>for a short time on Amazon! Quick, download your copy!</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a character driven novel."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Go Book Yourself</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"I connected deeply with the characters, I felt each and every dramatic moment."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Awesome Indies</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00HD16RCO" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="105" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3bhB8SVwx0/WgYaTF1ulwI/AAAAAAAACBE/h00ot8svp34qMg3BXCGciWDKwKL15k9FACEwYBhgL/s1600/ama_down_com.png" /></a><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00HD16RCO" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="40" data-original-width="105" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oFXWbE7SCGA/WgYaX6sbcoI/AAAAAAAACBE/jWxWwJae_fMm6eFCajCFYcqobrzTDuD_QCEwYBhgL/s1600/ama_down_uk.png" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Orla’s Code</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"> is well-written, with a fresh style, and subtle and insightful humor."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Awesome Indie Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>I was impressed with the author’s ability to communicate the challenges of Orla’s job.</b></i><b style="font-size: 13px;">"</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">BigAl, Books and Pals</span><br />
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-66175817486955073542017-09-03T19:27:00.002+01:002019-11-27T16:36:03.829+00:00Where's the Conflict?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s about fifteen years ago. I’m in the shower, washing my
hair and I’m thinking, write what you know … hmmm … I know about stuttering. How about that? I had started a creative writing course and it was time to attempt a
short story. Perhaps I could write a story about a woman with a stutter who has to speak in
public – a school girl maybe, with an assignment. Okay, good. But, so what? Our week's lesson was on creating conflict. So where was it? She doesn’t want to speak? Well, obviously she doesn’t. But who
cares? Er … there is something she can gain by speaking – a prize. Ah, she’s won a competition and she must recite her wining slogan/poem at a
press conference/on TV - there'll be cameras - terrifying. So why do it? The prize is a lot of money … or tickets to see her favourite band ... So, she goes through with it and it’s unpleasant, but worth it. The End. Where’s the conflict? Er, maybe
she DOESN’T go through with it … I was on to conditioner by now, leaving it in
my hair for a few minutes, as you do ... I know! She asks her friend to pretend to be
her! Her friend gives the speech, collects the tickets and hands them over! ... SO
WHERE’S THE CONFLICT? ... Her friend wants something in return for doing the
speech. Something our protagonist doesn’t want to give up. Hmm, that's interesting.
What do teenage girls care about? Teenage boys. There’s a boy, see. He’s cute.
Both girls like him. Our girl has to introduce him to her so-called friend and
encourage a date ... </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Conflict!</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What will she choose? To brave humiliation and do
the speech herself, but still have a chance with the guy? Or will she give
up the guy because she can’t face public speaking? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I learned from the exercise is that creative writing is
about giving a protagonist a choice and giving the reader enough information to
speculate on what they would do - that's the hook that makes them want to read more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a productive shower, because my short story about Siobhán and her best friend Lisa got an
A. If you’ve read <a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html"><b>Beverly</b></a>, you’ll know that it is a grown-up adaption.
Beverly has to do a presentation at work in order to win a lucrative contract, or she faces a bad reputation in her industry. When she recruits her best friend Ella for help, it comes at a high price.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every time I start writing something new, I play <i>where’s the conflict</i>. What techniques to you use?</span><br />
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<meta content='Writing tips, Character Development' name='keywords'/>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-76913083007331018582017-08-19T13:01:00.000+01:002019-11-27T16:13:08.698+00:00Advertising: The Results<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you remember, I paid to advertise <b><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly</a> </b>during a promotion </span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/free-27th-may.html">back in May</a> </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and promised to share the results. It turns out the results are not that exciting. In the previous freebie week, Beverly was downloaded 1,100 times. In the week I paid for advertising, she was downloaded 2,700 times. Over twice as many hits. Pretty good. But I was not impressed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought the cheap options were okay. These sites advertised my book during the freebie period and contacted other sites to do the same. This is something I could have done myself if I had put the time into it. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The expensive sites have a large amount of email subscribers whom they email at the start of the promotional period. This, I believe, is what doubled my numbers. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://booksgosocial.com/">BooksGoSocial</a> </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://booksgosocial.com/2017/05/03/an-interview-with-beverly-author-fiona-pearse/"><b>interviewed me</b></a> (via Your Book Promoter) and the link was heavily retweeted. Looking at the accounts that did the retweeting, I noticed they all had something like 50k followers, 100k followers, etc. They were following around that many too. And I thought: if everyone retweeting the interview is putting it into a stream following about 100k accounts then it's still only reaching a flooded market - which was the problem I had when I wasn't paying for advertising. No one commented on the interview and I notice, with a quick check, there are not many comments on other BooksGoSocial interviews.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On a side note, when I'm followed by someone who has about 100k followers and is following the same, I don't follow back anymore because I don't feel the authenticity. It's different for a celebrity account following about 100 people while thousands or millions follow it. But if a non-celeb can amount that many followers, I wonder how they spend their time - is it spent building connections? If not, the numbers must be somehow contrived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having said all that, the fact that every few months, 1,000 people or so read Beverly or <a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-it-girl.html"><b>Orla's Code</b></a> is fantastic. And I appreciate being able to reach people through Free Kindle. It got me thinking about that audience. Who are the people checking out the Free Kindle bookstore? What kind of books do they read? I guess they're avid readers across a broad cultural spectrum, with varying tastes - was my first thought. But then I realised that I just had to look at the top 100 free books to answer the question. Ahem, it's all porn. Sorry, erotica. Ok, there's paranormal porn there too. This is what you see when Beverly or Orla's Code makes it into the top 100: Columns of semi-naked men and buxom women, and in the middle, Beverly or Orla looking very dressed. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a little bit of sex in Orla's Code and Beverly. More in Beverly, if you want to know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I need to rethink how to reach my market. I'll report on progress...</span>
<meta content='Analysis of paid advertising online' name='description'/>
<meta content='Writing, market research, advertising' name='keywords'/>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-9596844591994321952017-05-01T17:44:00.002+01:002017-05-01T17:52:21.491+01:00FREE 27th MAY<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I heard about this author who self-published through a self-publishing company, and once he got his book into a book store, visited the store with a plate of biscuits, offering one to those who picked up his book. Another self-published author featured a real hotel in her novel and then was able to enter her readers into a competition for a meal for two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If only I was this clever at marketing. But my creativity does not seem to extend into this arena. So this bank holiday weekend, I'm promoting <a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly </a>the old-fashioned way - with money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Both Beverly and Orla's Code are exclusively e-published on Kindle which allows me to do a free promotion every three months. But I have found this isn't enough. Amazon is a noisy market and getting into the top 100 free books doesn't have a lasting effect on my overall sales ranking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On looking about the internet, I have found some good advice on book promotion sites and where to invest. There are a lot of sites that will give your book a shout out during a promotion. I ended up enlisting Beverly here:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="https://yourbookpromoter.com/">https://yourbookpromoter.com</a></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> I paid $121</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNZmhwZSlEI/WQdVqYrk5RI/AAAAAAAAB_g/ZT8G0l6eNrwIp7ChGC4wLRcVC_zMmHdnwCLcB/s1600/booksends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNZmhwZSlEI/WQdVqYrk5RI/AAAAAAAAB_g/ZT8G0l6eNrwIp7ChGC4wLRcVC_zMmHdnwCLcB/s1600/booksends.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b><a href="http://booksends.com/">http://booksends.com</a></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">I paid $165</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zpAfUBk2cM/WQdV7uXeIRI/AAAAAAAAB_o/hr-BQKwEg5Mg2Ek6HhQthgP-iq9vxtksgCLcB/s1600/ebookbooster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zpAfUBk2cM/WQdV7uXeIRI/AAAAAAAAB_o/hr-BQKwEg5Mg2Ek6HhQthgP-iq9vxtksgCLcB/s1600/ebookbooster.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.ebookbooster.com/">http://www.ebookbooster.com</a></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> I paid $35</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_yGmwHY7XE/WQdV5cz6shI/AAAAAAAAB_k/zturTxUxDigxJt_qQt1b5NDg-pyFD0wegCLcB/s1600/awesomegang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_yGmwHY7XE/WQdV5cz6shI/AAAAAAAAB_k/zturTxUxDigxJt_qQt1b5NDg-pyFD0wegCLcB/s1600/awesomegang.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://awesomegang.com/">http://awesomegang.com</a></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">I paid $10</span></td></tr>
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The more expensive sites offer services like tweeting, exposure to book review clubs, promotional emails to subscribers and a featured page. The cheaper ones just advertise your book during the freebie time. I'll be sure to provide pre-promotion sales numbers and post-promotion numbers. We'll see if the investment works. As the heading of this post says, Beverly will be free from the 27th May, for five days. Don't be afraid to distort the numbers - remember to download your copy!
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>Helpful Sources:</b></i></span><br />
<a href="http://services4authors.com/2015/05/27/how-i-got-7000-downloads-during-my-two-day-0-kdp-promotion/"><b><i>Services4Authors</i></b></a><br />
<b><i><a href="http://beckywicks.com/how-i-used-my-kdp-free-promo-days-to-get-over-24000-downloads-and-to-1-in-my-amazon-categories-without-bookbub/">beckywicks.com</a></i></b>
<br />Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-53930396446744826002016-11-14T09:28:00.000+00:002016-11-14T09:28:20.657+00:00Paperbacks for Christmas?<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are you looking for Christmas present ideas? Is it too early to mention? Well, to help you out, </span><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-it-girl.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Orla's Code</b></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and </span><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Beverly</b></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> are </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">FREE</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> this week on Kindle. So why not download these Awesome Indie Approved, London based tales, and if they meet your personal approval, you can buy the paperback for a loved one...</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00HD16RCO/"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Orla's Code on Kindle</span></b></a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beverly-Fiona-Pearse-ebook/dp/B017PIA928"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beverly on Kindle</span></b></a><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Orlas-Code-Fiona-Pearse/1493727893">Orla's Code on paperback</a></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beverly-Fiona-Pearse/dp/1517020638">Beverly on paperback</a></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Orla’s Code</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"> is well-written, with a fresh style, and subtle and insightful humor."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Awesome Indie Review. </span><a href="http://awesomeindies.net/2014/03/20/bit-light-reading-sneaks-review-orlas-code-fiona-pearse/" style="color: #7ea3bb; text-decoration: none;">Read review...</a></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"I would recommend [Beverly] to anyone who loves a character driven novel."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Go Book Yourself <a href="http://www.gobookyourself.info/2016/03/book-review-beverly-by-fionapearse.html" style="color: #7ea3bb; text-decoration: none;">read the review...</a></span></div>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-62616123584536020442016-08-30T15:22:00.001+01:002016-08-31T08:08:58.769+01:00Beverly in Paperback!<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQ8ThSZS0LY/V8G7NdCddLI/AAAAAAAAB74/7uIoAlp0YDMIyJna7uYIHhtVnC-AhnbnwCLcB/s1600/reading1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQ8ThSZS0LY/V8G7NdCddLI/AAAAAAAAB74/7uIoAlp0YDMIyJna7uYIHhtVnC-AhnbnwCLcB/s320/reading1.jpg" width="259" /></a><br />
<b>OMG!</b> Beverly the paperback is here <b>AND </b>it's in a <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/201609-beverly">Goodreads Giveaway</a>!</b> Starting September 3rd and running for one week, enter for your chance to win 1 of 10 signed copies. <br />
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Over the last few months I have been sending <a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html"><b>Beverly</b></a> out to book reviewers and have been so chuffed to receive these great reviews, which I have added to the paperback:<br />
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a character driven novel. With Beverly, Fiona's unique voice has shone through again."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Go Book Yourself<b> </b></span><a href="http://www.gobookyourself.info/2016/03/book-review-beverly-by-fionapearse.html" style="color: #7ea3bb; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;"><b>read the review...</b></a></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"I connected deeply with the characters, I felt each and every dramatic moment."</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Awesome Indies<b> </b></span><a href="http://awesomeindies.net/awesome-indies-approved-a-review-of-beverly-by-fiona-pearse/" style="color: #7ea3bb; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;"><b>read the review...</b></a></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"This is an entertaining read from an indie author who has immense talent as a story teller"</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">Tuck Magazine<b> </b></span><b style="color: #7ea3bb; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2016/03/11/beverly-fiona-pearse-review/" style="color: #7ea3bb; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;">read the review...</a></b><br />
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Of course, if you want to skip the giveaway, you can always go straight to Amazon to get your copy:<br />
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-48851587816518525842016-06-02T11:22:00.000+01:002019-11-27T16:37:09.915+00:00Beverly, Stuttering and Me<meta content=”anxiety disorder, stuttering” name=”keywords” />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">About a year ago I went to a writers' talk on social media and book promotion. A woman I've become friends with through these events was there too and I made my way over to her after the talk, as she is always, what my English friends would call <i>good value</i> and my Irish friends would call <i>good craic</i>. For the sake of this blog post, we'll call her Tallulah. <br /><br /> As writers do, we greeted each other with writing progress reports. Tallulah is working on a romance/whodunnit. It's shamefully flowery, she says, with a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">dismissive wa<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ve of her hand</span></span>.</span> And me? I'm working on a book about a woman who has a falling out with her best friend over a guy. She also happens to have a stutter.<br /><br />"Oh, wow," Tallulah replies, like I have ignited her interest. I should point out here that what Tallulah does<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n'</span>t know is that I have a stutter too. The reason she doesn't know this is because:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a) My stutter is very mild; it was strong when I was young but since adulthood it has faded each year so by now it's only occasionally problematic.<br /><br />b) I'm what we refer to as a 'covert' stutterer (as apposed to an 'overt' stutterer). A covert stutterer can anticipate when they will come to a word they're going to get stuck on, and swap it out for another 'easier' word. Sometimes this happens smoothly and you would never know such lexical acrobatics were going on behind the eyes. Other times an alternative word can'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t be found qu<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ickly </span></span>and a pause is in order - so there'll be some <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span>Er.. what I mean is...<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span> and there might even be some feigning of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">f</span>orgetfulness, until an appropr<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">iate word can be found.</span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">T</span>his is why Tallulah feels free to continue along these lines:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I went out with a guy with a stutter once. Moaned about it all the time. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He was really self-pitying, you know<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">?</span></span>" She's making a painful face. "I mean, put it in perspective<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. I</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t's just how you speak, right? It's not like a real problem..."<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As Tallulah expanded on how this chump couldn't get himself together, I was thinking, how can I make someone with this point of view sympathise with <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly</a>? When she has no experience of what it<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'</span>s like to not be able to express herself and to constantly fear humiliation<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">,</span> how can I show her how that feels? She became my target audience and in subsequent edits of Beverly I carefully went through scenes trying to capture th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is</span> discomfort, show Beverly'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s focus <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on</span></span> her spe<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ec<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">h and</span> </span>its dominance over <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her</span> identity. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That is why it has been hugely gratifying to receive early reviews with these comments:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"<i>I could feel myself holding my breath with Beverly every time she struggled to say a certain word.</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.gobookyourself.info/2016/03/book-review-beverly-by-fionapearse.html">Go Book Yourself review...</a> </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span>I was worried with the main character having a stutter that it might
affect the formatting and readability of the book, but it actually flows
pretty well, and allows you to get a strong sense of the character and
her struggles.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://awesomeindies.net/awesome-indies-approved-a-review-of-beverly-by-fiona-pearse/">Awesome Indies review...</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I know Beverly will not be for everyone, of course, but it's beginning to feel like I have reached my goal, of bringing <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the reade<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">r </span></span>into this obscure world. So thanks, book reviewers, you make it worth while for us writers. And thanks, Tallulah. I hope you have found a man of courage<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-88729588901797668742015-12-06T22:43:00.000+00:002015-12-06T22:57:19.759+00:00Beverly on Kindle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I am very excited to announce </b>that <b><a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly</a></b> is now available on <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017PIA928">Kindle</a></b>! And it has been awarded a place on the <b><a href="http://awesomeindies.net/bookstore/beverly-fiona-pearse/">Awesome Indies list of quality independent fiction</a></b>! Awesome Indies identify and promote independently published books that meet the standard of books published by mainstream publishers. Their reviews are known for being tough, so I'm really <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">proud</span> to be included on their l<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ist.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Check out their </span>review on Amazon. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My favourite part is<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">: </span>"</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="MHRHead">I connected deeply with the characters, I felt each and every dramatic moment<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></span></i>" <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">T</span></span>hen why not <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">download an <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">original story </span></span>a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bout two <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">best<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> friends in </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">London </span></span></span></span></span>who<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">se</span> codepende<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nt relationship is <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">set to<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> implode as soon as they make <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">quid<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>pro<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>quo kind of deal.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-66611424338161362532015-10-06T22:37:00.002+01:002015-10-06T23:02:26.975+01:00The Do's and Don'ts of the Hook - Part 2<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time flies! It was January when I wrote this post <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-dos-and-donts-of-hook.html">The Do's and Don'ts of the Hook</a>. My super writing group had a similar event again this week, and it was fantastic to get more agency feedback on my updated first page. This time we welcomed <a href="http://dkwlitagency.co.uk/">DKW Literary Agency</a> who gave brief feedback to everyone who submitted, so there was no singling me out this time - though I did sit right up front, in case I was going to be picked on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To recap, here's the initial draft of the first page and the feedback from <a href="http://www.greeneheaton.co.uk/">Greene & Heaton</a>:</span><br />
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<td width="80%"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beverly woke up as if arriving from another world. The image from her dream came with her, and for a moment, before moving, she imagined her bed was in a playground. It was a memory, that she had been reliving in her sleep, of being on a roundabout and trying to say stop to the children pushing it – lightly tapping the bars that whizzed around – but only being able to say the ‘S’ and the ‘T’, while the rest of the word was snapped away by the wind. The spinning settled and Beverly shifted to let air in under the covers. Her lungs billowed and a headache began. She was properly awake now and the childhood memory was replaced with memories from the night before. Singing in the taxi – taxi drivers had a hard job – they opened a bottle of wine when they got back – who came home with them? She jerked, reaching a hand out to the cold side of the bed. There was no one there. She retracted her arm with relief.
</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Other things came into existence: coffee, a clean tracksuit. She dressed herself with a heavy, detached feeling and then opened her bedroom door. No noise. The T.V. wasn’t on so Ella wasn’t up yet. And no voices from Ella’s bedroom. Beverly moved to the bathroom and then the office. She sat at her desk and shook the mouse to waken her computer. The fan started humming. Beverly checked her email, which was already open on the screen, and then clicked over to Facebook – a shoe ad; a baby picture from Dave; A cat with a human expression from Lucy.
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> She knocked on Ella’s bedroom door. The voice was muffled but strong: ‘It’s your turn to go.’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="color: #666666;"> ‘Shit.’ Beverly whispered, shrinking slightly.</span></span> </td>
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<li>The waking up beginning is a cliche. </li>
<li>The dream doesn't seem to link to the subsequent action.</li>
<li>Who is Ella? A friend, a daughter?</li>
<li>Where are they? At home? Why is there an office?</li>
<li>The hook, which is "what does Beverly not want to do?" comes in too late.</li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now here's the new first page whi</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ch attempts to address the above issues, and the related feedback:</span><br />
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<tr><td width="10%"></td><td width="80%"><span style="color: #666666;">Beverly opened the door of her bedroom but instead of stepping out, creating the usual creak underfoot in the hallway, she listened. A bitten fingernail went to her mouth. No sound was coming from the living room – the TV wasn’t on. That meant her flatmate hadn’t surfaced yet. Probably Ella’s new friend had stayed over. Beverly couldn’t remember his name. It was 10.30. She couldn’t wait any longer. <br /> She dressed as fragments of a dream returned to mind. It wasn’t a dream really, more a memory that sometimes visited her sleep, of being on a roundabout and trying to say stop to the children pushing it, but only being able to say the ‘S’ and the ‘T’, while the rest of the word was snapped away by the wind. <br /> Now the childhood memory was replaced with memories from the night before. Laughing in the taxi, opening another bottle of wine when they got back. Beverly just had half a glass before leaving the pair alone – she could see Ella was putting on her moves. She crossed the hallway, letting the wooden floor announce her presence. Hopefully the noise would wake Ella. <br /> In their office, she sat at her desk and shook the mouse, watching her computer screen come to life. The fan started humming. She checked her email, which was already open, and then clicked over to Facebook – a baby picture from Dave; an endangered monkey from Lucy; a suggested post about local gigs. She didn’t mind Facebook intruding on her timeline – it knew her well. She was stalling but a hangover was kicking in. <br /> She raised herself out of the leather seat and knocked on Ella’s bedroom door. <br /> No sound. ‘Shit,’ Beverly whispered, shrinking slightly. She would have to go by herself.</span></td><td width="10%"><br /></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One scene is focused on, opening up slowly, which is the right thing for a first page. We don't want a sense of information being crammed in quickly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No cliche's. For example: a character waking up!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Segue from recollection of dream to memory of the night before is relatable. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Understanding immediate - Beverly is trying to wake up her flatmate.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tension is built in a subtle way through Beverly's actions and the fact that she doesn't want to go somewhere.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you can see, according to this agent, all the previous issues have been fixed! There actually wasn't any negative feedback at all. So a relief for me, as the next submission scrolled up on the screen, for review. My gratitude to <a href="http://www.meetup.com/londonwriterscafe/">London Writers' Cafe</a>, Greene & Heaton and DKW for their support!</span><br />
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</div>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-21620948716346128562015-08-29T13:14:00.001+01:002015-08-29T14:03:42.421+01:00BEVERLY is coming soon!...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">Beverly sidesteps the need to interact with co-workers by working from home. When she must venture outside, she wears earphones so no one will bother her. Social niceties are designated to her best friend and flatmate, Ella. </i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">Beverly would be jealous of Ella's gregarious charm and high-life, if she didn't have the security of her long-term boyfriend, Roland, who spared Beverly from the dating scene and gave her a future. Beverly won't speak for herself because she has a stutter. This is how she carefully arranges her life, until Roland breaks up with her... to date Ella.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.7900009155273px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;">Soon-ish</span></b>. After getting a fantastic copy-edit with <a href="http://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/"><b>SilverWood Books</b></a>, I finally have some time off from my busy job to work through changes (</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/beverly-edited.html"><b>see my previous Beverly blog post</b></a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20.7900009155273px; text-align: center;">). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">I was surprised, reading the copy-edit, to find character traits coming across that I had not </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LU-FJ4PL9ws/VeGNKNgxKcI/AAAAAAAABw4/V4wHhAW8rL4/s1600/beverly_ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LU-FJ4PL9ws/VeGNKNgxKcI/AAAAAAAABw4/V4wHhAW8rL4/s200/beverly_ebook.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">realised were there! It is as if I unconsciously brought forward these traits and needed someone else to point them out. With this fresh perspective, I can see some small changes can shape the character dynamics further.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">But never mind small changes. Check out the book cover! I had a great experience working with </span><a href="https://99designs.co.uk/" style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><b>99designs</b></a><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">. If you're not familiar with the site, what happens is you launch a competition for your design and set your prize money. Then, designers submit their entries and you can work with them, asking for changes, until you decide on a winner. I chose four designs for my final round which were all strong covers, I thought, but this one by </span><a href="https://99designs.co.uk/profiles/wildwomendesigns" style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><b>Wild Women Designs</b></a><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"> has captured Beverly and how she interacts with the world. It also ticks all the boxes I'm learning are necessary for a good book cover: the title and author name are clear, the image will stand out in an Amazon line-up, the idea is communicated simply, and there is space for a quote.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">So I'm looking forward to the final shaping of Beverly and sharing it with you! In the meantime, check out <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html"><b>Beverly's page</b></a> and stay tuned.</span></span></span></div>
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</span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-28354757172711456612015-04-21T23:14:00.001+01:002015-04-21T23:20:53.971+01:00Two New Poems in Tuck Magazine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's lovely to be included in online magazine <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/">Tuck</a></b> again. I'm sure other people who write poems have their favourites, like me, and I particularly like these two new poems <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2015/04/21/poetry-38/">Aboard The Waits Train and Playground of My Youth</a></b> which I submitted to Tuck, thinking they might be a good fit.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I actually tried to write a poem about listening to Tom Waits a few times, before a theme came to mind. I don't know why I felt like capturing the moment but there you go. <i>Playground of My Youth</i> I wrote on a visit home to Dublin. I grew up near a lot of parks and some of my time was slightly misspent.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: normal;">All Aboard The Waits Train </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><b><i>(listening to Tom Waits)</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />All aboard the Waits train <br /><i>It’s a lovely sound you make and I’m not the first to say it </i><br /> Leave your bags and credit cards behind <br />Find a seat that slides <br /><i>You move me</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2015/04/21/poetry-38/">read more...</a></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Playground of My Youth</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />The hill <br />Playground of my youth <br />An hour after school <br />The grass always damp <br />shadowed by oak trees</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2015/04/21/poetry-38/">read more...</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been enjoying Tuck over the years since they published my poems <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2012/03/01/march-poets/4/">Prime Time Guy and Sifting for Gold</a></b>. As an arts and politics magazine they publish everything from photography, like these lovely <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2015/02/16/photography-movements-dark/">movements in the dark</a></b>, to <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/category/opinion-tuck-magazine/">current affairs essays</a></b> to a lot more poetry and prose like these fast-moving <b><a href="http://tuckmagazine.com/2015/04/08/poetry-36/">poems</a></b> by Scott Thomas Outlar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I also really enjoyed <b><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/virtual-coffee-interview-with-val-b.html">interviewing Tuck's managing editor Val B. Russell</a></b> two years ago.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So fix yourself a cup of tea and check out the links!</span></span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-48287658923415527502015-04-07T21:14:00.000+01:002015-04-07T21:14:26.168+01:00Beverly Edited<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To whom it concerns, Beverly has just come back from it's editing holiday covered in crossings out and sticky notes. I'll be working on the final, final draft over this summer but it won't be my usual sprint, it will be more like a meandering walk taking in a weekend here and a week evening there - due to a new job that is eating into my work-life balance at the moment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But I've had a good break from thinking about the story and I'm looking forward to getting back into it with editor's comments, friends comments and a fresh perspective.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stayed tuned for exciting updates over the summer about book covers and marketing ideas!....</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the meantime, here's the <b><a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly story so far</a></b>.</span></span></div>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-74442715362388167662015-01-15T13:46:00.000+00:002015-01-15T13:58:56.960+00:00The Do's and Don'ts of The Hook<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Earlier this week, my writing group invited literary agents from <a href="http://www.greeneheaton.co.uk/"><b>Greene & Heaton</b></a> to talk to us about first paragraphs, the do's and don'ts. Before the event, we were able to submit our opening paragraphs for feedback. I submitted the first page of <b><a href="http://fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html">Beverly</a></b> and arrived for the evening, assuming mine would not be one of the examples chosen for discussion. There's nothing remarkable about the start of Beverly after all, except it turns out there is a remark that can be made - don't do it! I was sitting at the back of the room and strained to listen, taking notes as the comments started out encouragingly - nothing wrong with the writing per se - while a big BUT was clearly looming...<br /><br />So here's the sample and the feedback:<br /><br /> <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">Beverly woke up</span> <span style="color: #666666;">as if arriving from another world. The image from her dream came with her, and for a moment, before moving, she imagined her bed was in a playground. It was a memory, that she had been reliving in her sleep, of being on a roundabout and trying to say stop to the children pushing it – lightly tapping the bars that whizzed around – but only being able to say the ‘S’ and the ‘T’, while the rest of the word was snapped away by the wind. The spinning settled and Beverly shifted to let air in under the covers. Her lungs billowed and a headache began. She was properly awake now and the childhood memory was replaced with memories from the night before. Singing in the taxi – taxi drivers had a hard job – they opened a bottle of wine when they got back – who came home with them? She jerked, reaching a hand out to the cold side of the bed. There was no one there. She retracted her arm with relief. </span><br /> <span style="color: red;">Other things came into existence:</span> <span style="color: #666666;">coffee, a clean tracksuit. She dressed herself with a heavy, detached feeling and then opened her bedroom door. No noise. The T.V. wasn’t on so</span> <span style="color: red;">Ella</span> <span style="color: #666666;">wasn’t up yet. And no voices from Ella’s bedroom. Beverly moved to the bathroom and then</span> <span style="color: red;">the office</span>. <span style="color: #666666;">She sat at her desk and shook the mouse to waken her computer. The fan started humming. Beverly checked her email, which was already open on the screen, and then clicked over to Facebook – a shoe ad; a baby picture from Dave; A cat with a human expression from Lucy. </span><br /> <span style="color: red;">She knocked on Ella’s bedroom door</span>. <span style="color: #666666;">The voice was muffled but strong: ‘It’s your turn to go.’ <br /> ‘Shit.’ Beverly whispered, shrinking slightly.</span></span> <br /><br />First of all, apparently a lot of us start our stories with a person waking up. This being an irritation for these particular agents - and possibly others - because it's hard to make it interesting if it's going to be the usual mundane steps and we see it in a lot in movies so it has become a cliche. One of the agents was strongly against describing a character's dreams but I got the feeling this was a personal choice. After all, Margaret Atwood uses character dreams and interpretations so I think we can agree it has its place.<br /><br />Secondly, the switch in the second paragraph left both agents confused. They couldn't see a link between the dream and the following action. This confusion was further deepened with the introduction of Ella. Who is Ella? A daughter? A friend? She is mentioned later with the knock on the door but this doesn't clarify the relationship. Then there's the casual mention of the office - Beverly moves from bedroom to office - does she work from home? Where is she?<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">They did like the last two lines though. These had a hook: what does Beverly have to do that seems to be habitual, but is something she clearly doesn't want to do? Their curiosity kept coming back to this question until they asked if the author was in the room. So I stood up and explained over audience heads what Beverly had to do that she didn't want to do: Go get the coffees, I said. This seemed like an anti-climax, so I added: See, she hates having to speak or interact with people. She has a stutter and tends to rely on Ella a lot. Ah... that made the whole piece clear. That's what the dream is about, I continued, encouraged. Even asleep, she's thinking about her speech. There was nodding at this. It's an emotive idea but it's not clear, one agent said. Gone-Girl-it, he concluded. Gone Girl had been one of the extracts read out before mine. Here it is:<br /><br /> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it, to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of the head I saw, and there was something lovely about it, the angles of it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call <i>a finely shaped head</i>. You could imagine the skull quite easily. <br /> I'd know her head anywhere. <br /> And what's inside it. I think of that, too: her mind. Her brain, all those coils, and her thoughts shuttling through those coils like fast, frantic centipedes. Like a child, I picture opening her skull, unspooling her brain and sifting through it, trying to catch and pin down her thoughts. <i>What are you thinking, Amy?</i> The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: <i>What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?</i></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was grateful for the feedback but left feeling a bit unclear about what I was supposed to do. One reason being this: In the next scene of Beverly, which wasn't part of the extract, Beverly comes back from the shops with the coffees and she and Ella chat about the night before. Here it becomes clear that they are old friends, that Beverly relies on Ella introducing her at parties and that Beverly has a stutter. It is also the conversation where Ella admits that Beverly's ex, Roland, has asked her out. Before the workshop, I was thinking the story unfolds pretty fast. So how soon do I really need to get all the facts out? Do they need to be jammed into the first paragraph? That doesn't seem right... Also I was confused because I began to think: Didn't I Gone-Girl-it? The opening paragraphs are the husband thinking about his wife's head, with overtones of violence. In my story Beverly is thinking about her speech. So what's the difference?<br /><br />It wasn't until I went to bed and was drifting off to sleep that the difference hit me: In Gone Girl, although nothing actually happens in those opening lines, the suggestion of action is there. As this man describes his wife's head we can imagine him hurting her. The passage is foreboding, threatening, creepy and that fires our imagination to think about what he might to do to her. I think when our brain starts to speculate like that, that's when we want to know more - maybe because we want to know if we are right. In the Beverly passage, that speculation doesn't start until the last two lines. So while the dream is representative and we understand its significance later, initially, the information is flat. The brain is taxed with understanding the scene but there's nothing to fire the imagination, make the reader project possibilities, speculate, in other words, get drawn in. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I slept well. </span></span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-6161349440830243132015-01-05T16:20:00.001+00:002015-01-05T16:55:54.264+00:00Violence Entertainment<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I read <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/dec/23/-sp-passive-consumers-pornography-violence">this</a> </b>article by Will Self recently where he links Western passivity in the face of the Iraq crisis with a mindless consumption of entertainment violence. It's an old argument that violence on TV desensitises us, making us indifferent to the image of others suffering and it is invoked whenever something horrific happens and we want to explain how we let it happen. But I think it's one big red herring, brought on by a sense of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Western guilt: A disgust with our appetite for violence and meaningless entertainment which might be causing plenty of problems but is not necessarily to blame for our attitude towards war. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If we look at it, it seems violence is a natural component of society. Go back 1000 years, across Western countries, violence was commonplace: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">duels, </span>tribal feuds, </span>slavery, torture, capital punishment</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and disease made life cheap. Comparatively speaking, by now we live in sterile, orderly societies where we have swept up all that violence and put it on our TV for entertainment. We can't really imagine that going back to any time where we had more violence on our own streets and less on TV that we had more empathy for others on far away shores?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But let's suppose the argument is correct: violence on TV is impairing our ability to empathise. What is the solution? To ban certain types of violence in entertainment? But where do we draw the line? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Entertainment is not our only source of TV violence. We also get it from the News. When I saw someone falling to their death from the Twin Towers I remember thinking that it wouldn't have been shown a few years before because it would have been considered disrespectful. Recently a reporter covering the downing of flight </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_17">MH17</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">said they couldn't show some footage from the Ukraine crash sight because there were dismembered bodies. How long before it's okay for that to be shown? I guess the violence for entertainment argument is that if we didn't <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">h<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ave</span></span> violence dished up for <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fun</span>, we would be suitably shocked by the violence dished up by the News. But wouldn't we also become desensitised </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to that? How do we expose people to shocking things and keep their sense of shock at the same level? You have to keep getting more shocking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The most shocking thing I have seen on screen is a picture on Facebook, which I clicked on by accident, showing a scene in the wake of an ISIS massacre, including the image of a beheaded child. It seemed unreal to me, like I was looking at a large, discarded doll. I probably thought of a doll because that's the only way I can relate to such an image. There's a theory that all information we receive we automatically and can only understand in relation to what we already know. If this is the case then is it possible that unless we experience something shocking first-hand and have it thrust into our psyche, we can never muster a suitable reaction to shocking images, instead only relating them, inaccurately, to our own references? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think we have a built-in mechanism to block things out - it's probably necessary for our sanity - imagine if you could picture all the pain and suffering at any one moment in the world? Maybe it's that protective mechanism that makes some images too shocking to process<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and the viewer click away.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, I did se<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">e</span> some images recently that brought me to make changes in my life: those contained in food documentaries. Suffice to say I'm only buying organic meat from now on and I'm going to try to avoid makeup tested on animals. So why did these images have an affect? Well, I'm directly involved. I'm the consumer supporting how a product is made. Also, I know exactly how to help: I can stop buying those products. In contrast, when it comes to war, I think t<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here is a sense</span> here in the safe zone of <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">h</span>elplessness. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not because we trust our Western governments' promise to "fight terror" on our behalf, but because we don't trust them. Hindsight shows over and over that the bodies charged with upholding our moral code are demonstrably corrupt - this inevitably becomes a factor in our reaction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So</span> I am surprised to hear the old TV violence argument being rolled out to explain our collective apathy when it comes to the Iraq <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">crisis</span>. It's over-simplifying the matter, a red herring and is a culprit in another argument.</span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-13172912149222021422014-10-20T18:16:00.000+01:002014-10-20T18:16:19.145+01:00The Business of Cards<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did a <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/can-i-give-you-my-card.html" style="font-weight: bold;">post</a> just over a year ago about making business cards for Orla's Code, or, The I.T. Girl, as it was then. Without an eye for design I really struggled with a few attempts at this. Recently I came back to the exercise for the updated <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-it-girl.html"><b>Orla's Code</b></a>. Again, I played around with a few formats. I even went fancy with <a href="http://www.vistaprint.com/"><b>Vista</b></a>, putting the book cover on one side and the cover again on the other side, but as a water-colour behind the information. It looked nice online but when I received the cards, the information printed over the water-colour was just hard to read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again, companies that produce cards: please let us print samples of different designs. Fifty cards that all have the same fatal space aren't that much help to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I went back to <a href="http://uk.moo.com/">moo.com</a> and after more experiments, I went back to the advice given on the previous post above and would now like to add this bit of advice to the list: if like me you don't have a flair for layout then just make sure everything is even. With the blurb I went to quite a bit of trouble to write something that fitted perfectly on the card so that every piece of information is separated by exactly one line. I also tried to keep the width of the writing consistent and I think this adds to the sense of symmetry. So that's all I got - keep it <i>symmetrical</i>! Oh, and <i>simple</i>. I tried varying the font, I tried making my website information a different colour/size so that it would stand out. I found it hard to tell looking at it online but when I held these cards in my hands, I could just see the design looked odd - amateur.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the final result. On the upside, after all this messing, producing cards for <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/beverly.html"><b>Beverly </b></a>is going to be quick!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCokX7PpIDk/VEU_vzZ7XzI/AAAAAAAABvI/bfTGj_hp6rE/s1600/oc_businesscards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCokX7PpIDk/VEU_vzZ7XzI/AAAAAAAABvI/bfTGj_hp6rE/s1600/oc_businesscards.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></div>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-41139832366666558932014-09-30T18:36:00.000+01:002014-10-01T11:10:03.432+01:00Beverly, Draft 3<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now, draft 3 of Beverly is finished! The last few weeks have gone quite smoothly overall with lots of editing and re-reading and a little research. Sending it to friends to proof-read draws a real line under the work and stops me from tweaking here and there. I'll be going back to polish off a final draft in December, with my fresh perspective plus friends' feedback.<br /><br />In the meantime, I can't promise to leave it alone entirely. I'll be thinking about the synopsis and blurb and already I find myself saving draft text messages with thoughts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />For now, here's the first draft of the blurb. Please don't judge a book by it's initial blurb! This is just a starting point. As with Orla's Code, I'll probably change it about a million times before I'm happy.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><i>Beverly has made her life manageable. Her best friend and flatmate, Ella, answers the phone, answers the door and introduces Beverly at parties. She could be jealous of Ella's </i><i>gregarious charm and the spotlight she lives under, except her long-term boyfriend Roland provides romance and security and means she never has to face the dating scene. She works from home and only </i></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">corresponds by email because she has a bad stutter.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We join Beverly's story six months after Roland has broken it off. Ella has been her rock more than ever but on this regular Sunday morning, as they dissect the night before, Ella confesses that Roland </i><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">has asked her on a date and she intends to say yes. Beverly is ready to end their friendship. But shortly after, she is faced with a bigger dilemma: she has to do a presentation at Work or lose her job</i><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Now she needs Ella's help more than ever...</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thoughts and comments are of course welcome.</span></div>
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-51391223129450564822014-07-19T14:54:00.002+01:002014-07-20T12:24:57.277+01:00Back Stories: Beverly, Roland and Ella<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">I have finished draft 2 of my short novel <i>Beverly </i>and now
have a checklist of things I want to fix and enhance for draft 3 which I hope
to have ready for my proof-readers - er, I mean my friends, in a few months
time. Exciting! For me.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">We
join Beverly's story as she and Ella - her old friend and flatmate - have a
falling out that threatens to end their friendship. A deal is struck over their
crisis but as the story unfolds, resentments come to light and Beverly
faces the unknown, watching her carefully structured life unravel in every way.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The
three main characters meet in college and though there are flashbacks to
this time, the story is set in present day. I have written the below
biographies to share more of these characters with you, since posting <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/character-building.html"><b>character descriptions</b></a> back in March. Most of the information here will not be in the
book as it's irrelevant to the story but back stories help grow characters in the mind of the writer, so I thought it would be fun to share them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>Beverly</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Beverly
went to a large school in a small town. Her parents were religious and older
than the other children's parents. They had a quiet house and Beverly found
school overwhelming; All the noise and talking, she felt rushed and preferred
to play by herself. But her parents and teachers were concerned and so she made
an effort to be amongst other children on the playground. Her first memory of
stuttering was asking to go to the toilet during class. She remembers the other
children's curious eyes and a worried look on her teacher's face that pushed
her glasses down her nose. Beverly felt ashamed but she pretended she
didn't mind. She did well academically and tried to keep her parents
from worrying or praying more! She didn't believe in God, and even young, she was
surprised by faith.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Luckily, Beverly thought, she never had to change schools and be the new girl. She was part of the old gang in her school, as new children joined. Never
confrontational but sometimes sarcastic and funny behind a teacher's back,
Beverly was accepted, a bit like a pet, to be looked after. Finally she found a way to express herself, online, as gaming communities and chat rooms were growing. She became drawn to coding sites where she could compete on programming problems and convinced her parents to get her a computer.</span><br />
<br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">School
discos were a particular hell for Beverly who would try to fit in by hovering
around a group of girls she knew. Until she discovered how easy it was to
entice boys - not the gorgeous looking boys but the ones to the side, like her.
Words were not needed - only a look that held an offer. Though she enjoyed
the moments of relief in french kissing, she never had an actual boyfriend.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Instead,
she dreamed of leaving home, creating her own, independent life without having
to perform or pretend. Going to college was the first step. And there she met
Roland and Ella.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>Ella</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: #222222;">When
Ella was a little girl she went to a talent school during the holidays and
danced on stage. She loved making people smile and she loved to be charming. It
made her feel kind and good. She grew up with three older brothers and played with their cars and soldiers and later with their games console. She discovered coding through a games community and when she worked on
coding problems, found it made her forget about other things so afterwards
she would have a feeling of peace. Being behind a computer became her quiet
time which was a relief from her otherwise fast-paced, sociable life.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Ella
fell in love when she was 15. She was taller than most of the boys in her
class, including her boyfriend. People made funny comments about it and she
wasn't sure if it bothered her. But she really liked him and forgot about it
after a while. They lasted a year. Ella would say he was jealous and cramped
her style. But really she fancied Ron, who had joined her school mid-year. He
was funny and became popular quickly. When he asked her to go for a walk after
school and then asked her in the park if she wanted to <i>go out</i>, she
thought her life was falling into place. They hung out with their friends and
went to the cinema. But he was mean to her in private. She thought he
misunderstood her so she tried to be more sensitive. But when they became sexual he said things to put her down -
like that she was self-centred and if she had short hair she would look like
a boy. She watched a TV programme about abusive relationships and realised
this was a bit like that. So she tried to
help him to see what he was like so that he could be happier but instead she
became more miserable. Ron broke up with her just before the end of school
dance. She saw it as her failing for a while but over time, her mind kept
presenting the facts in new ways until she realised it wasn't
her fault. She decided to keep things casual from then on and only date the
less serious types. As a determined party girl, before college she bought new clothes and got highlights in her hair. She
wanted to be a glamorous computer programmer. That would be her thing.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>Roland</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Roland
is from Amsterdam. Like Ella, he has three older brothers, with a 7 year gap
between him and the second youngest, Eric who was the rebel of the family,
skipping school and getting involved in drugs. When Roland saw him high he
would think Eric was the same but different and it would upset him. There were
bad fights at home. Eric talked about making documentaries but as Roland grew he
began to hate Eric's carelessness with his own life and the pain he caused.
Instead he looked up to the two older boys - the twins - and tried to be
included with them, acting older than his years. When Eric died in a motorbike accident, Roland went
to live with the twins for a time, while his parents tried to reconstruct a healthy living environment for him. Later on, Roland's father, Peiter, told Roland that
he had been like Eric when he was young. His father, Roland's grandfather had
died a soldier on duty and a psychologist told Peiter he was acting out as a
result of not having a father - to express the pain of missing his father.
After that, Peiter took an interest in psychology and that became his
profession. Peiter said he should have been able to save Eric. Like his dad,
Roland also has an analytical brain and likes solving problems. He applied his
to computers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Roland
was an earnest student who kept an amicable distance from his class mates and
was a bit too intense for girls. As a good looking boy he was able to take
their interest for granted and unfairly belittled their attention, but he had a
crush on one of the twins' girlfriends and eventually dated her younger sister, Tabatha, who was 2 years his senior. They had an on again - off again
relationship. Both cheated on the other and Roland was torn between a
restlessness and a desire for security. Tabatha broke up with him when she finished school. Roland's parents decided the best thing
for him would be to start somewhere new and he was sent to live with his uncle
in London. There he went to college and met Beverly and Ella.</span></span></div>
</div>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-9824937913193845552014-06-22T12:42:00.001+01:002014-06-22T13:00:34.668+01:00What Can Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH0frm3Pjdw/U6axVWT_48I/AAAAAAAABsE/xNsHg-Cr4xE/s1600/thynks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH0frm3Pjdw/U6axVWT_48I/AAAAAAAABsE/xNsHg-Cr4xE/s1600/thynks.jpg" height="194" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A great thing about writing and having work published is getting to be a part of literary magazines. Each one has its own view on what makes literature interesting and how it should be presented. There's always a buzz around each magazine because everyone involved is in it for the love of words. I was really e</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">xcited last year to have my poem <i>W</i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hat Can Be</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> become a runner-up in the Thynks Healing Poems competition! Now it is part of the Thynks anthology </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Little Book of Healing </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and I have just bought my copy from Amazon </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Book-Healing-Aileen-Shirra/dp/1900410621/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1403432792&sr=8-11&keywords=Thynks+publications" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>here</b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pPKoBL3upCQ/U6a0x03GlPI/AAAAAAAABsg/-NYn5jwhOQI/s1600/healing_poems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pPKoBL3upCQ/U6a0x03GlPI/AAAAAAAABsg/-NYn5jwhOQI/s1600/healing_poems.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thynks is relatively new and already publishing a broad scope of prose and poetry, with a focus on compassion and healing. Check out </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.thynkspublications.co.uk/"><i>their website</i></a></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> for other anthologies and information.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also, click <b><a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/poems.html#WhatCanBe">here</a></b> to see my poem, What Can Be.</span>Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-73362063240248129202014-04-28T10:45:00.001+01:002014-04-28T10:47:50.969+01:00Writing Process Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanks to Lisa Goll for inviting me to take part in this Writing Process Blog Tour. You can read her post </span><a href="http://lisasshare.tumblr.com/post/83410915042/my-writing-process-a-frank-confession-from-an-emerging" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What am I working on?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am currently writing a novel called Beverly, about two
best friends who live together in London. One needs a favour from the other and
in return she is asked to give something up. The exchange of favours changes
their dynamic and a theme running through the story is how hidden parts of our character can surprise us in extreme circumstances and a question is whether or not
friendship can last forever. But it’s beginning to develop as a love story too as one of the subplots is becoming more dominant.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How does my work differ from others of its genre?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m not sure what genre I fit into - women's fiction / commercial fiction - but I am attracted to
original stories. For example, my first book, Orla’s Code, is about a woman who
works in I.T. Mostly set in her workplace, we see the I.T. world through the eyes
of a female programmer and I think it might be the first of its kind! Beverly
is also original in a certain way but I don’t want to give away what that is
yet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why do I write what I do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think the desire to write about a subject that hasn't yet been
written about is what drives me. I am a software programmer so Orla’s Code was close
to my own experiences. The plot formed without my trying to think about it and
that’s when I caught the bug. But before Orla’s Code and again, before Beverly,
I didn't think I would write – until the plot came to me and then there was no
escape!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unlike a lot of writers, I didn't write when I was young
or even dream of writing. In fact I hated essay time in school! However I did a creative writing course many years ago just
to try something new and although that <i>still </i>didn't spark any writing ambition, I remembered how much I enjoyed it and thought every now and then that I'd like to try writing again in earnest. Finally the idea for Orla's Code came and suddenly I had to get it out of my system. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So basically sabotage is what makes me write.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How does my writing process work?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Working full-time, I have to fit writing around my schedule.
I tend to try to save a weekend day or at least a morning for writing. I also do a bit of editing on the week evenings if I’m not too tired. During the week, usually on my work commute, I make notes and try to resolve issues in my head. Actually something that worked very well for me in the late
stages of Orla’s Code was printing out a chapter each week, editing it on the way
to work, then typing up the changes at the weekend and printing out the next
chapter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I took last</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> week off work to concentrate on writing and actually was surprised at how demotivated I was. With all the free time I found myself restless and distracted. I am beginning to wonder if the slow pace of dipping into what I am writing every now and then actually suits me better - I like leaving sections for a while and then coming back to them with fresh eyes. So maybe I don't want to give up the day job after all. This is a surprise to me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the things that distracted me last week </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- thankfully -</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">was answering these questions. So </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would now like to introduce the three people I am passing the baton to....</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Matt Bone</b> lives and writes in Bath, UK, where he is steadily working through the city's supply of caffeine. He has degrees in both Astrophysics and English Literature, supporting his ambition to be entirely unemployable. His debut novel is Endless, the first in the Crescent fantasy series. His website can be found at</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.writingmattbone.com/">www.writingmattbone.com</a>.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<i><b>Melissa Pearl </b>was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book came out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.</i></div>
<i><br />"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.melissapearlauthor.com/">http://www.melissapearlauthor.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBS_yUx4kLo/U11s6hlh3dI/AAAAAAAABrA/bvBAKUfaWrA/s1600/Dave+-+Mugshot+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBS_yUx4kLo/U11s6hlh3dI/AAAAAAAABrA/bvBAKUfaWrA/s1600/Dave+-+Mugshot+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Dave Higgins</b> has worked in law and IT for both public and private sector organisations. When not pursuing these hobbies, he writes poetry and speculative fiction.<br />He was born in Wiltshire, England. Raised by a librarian, he started reading shortly after birth and has not stopped since. He currently lives in Bristol with his wife, Nicola, his cats, Jasper and Una, and many shelves of books.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://davidjhiggins.wordpress.com/">http://davidjhiggins.wordpress.com/</a></span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-nHtMOH-F320%2FU11rbtOZ8qI%2FAAAAAAAABq0%2F_ZpkHQTHKY8%2Fs1600%2FMel%2B1%2Bbrushed%2Bmed.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nHtMOH-F320/U11rbtOZ8qI/AAAAAAAABq0/_ZpkHQTHKY8/s1600/Mel+1+brushed+med.jpg" -->Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-64351058450121595892014-04-24T13:21:00.001+01:002014-04-24T13:21:53.890+01:00Full-Time Writer<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have discovered something shocking. I don't think I would like to be a full-time writer. I have always assumed that's what I would do, if my job wasn't in the way. But I took this week off work to write and I'm going a little stir crazy. I'm also watching a lot of daytime T.V. and I've washed nearly every stitch of clothing that I own - I'm actually quite excited about that. I'm also writing a blog post as part of a blog tour - my turn is next Monday. And now I'm writing this post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In between all that I am progressing with Beverly, and I'm quite happy with it and really enjoying it. But, I am not utilising this time the way I thought I would. When I have an evening here and a morning there to write I actually make much more use out of it. Could it be, feeling my time is limited helps me to focus?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe it's down to the nature of how I write. I do short sections and then I like to leave them for a while before coming back to them. If dipping in and out is my natural pace then perhaps I would never be suited to full-time writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And another thing: I would like to do a bit more marketing for Orla's Code except I have been putting it to one side in order to progress with Beverly. I could have gone away this week or visited home. Why am I in such a rush? Of course there's the desire to complete the novel but I don't have an agent imposing deadlines. I can set my own targets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the other hand, maybe I'm just suffering from a lack of discipline. I hear writers talking about it all the time and I'm like: I don't suffer from that. But that's because I don't usually have enough time to write. Maybe I just have to do what everyone does</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: turn off the T.V., log out and get on with it!</span><br />
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-18699015518196430152014-03-22T09:00:00.000+00:002014-03-27T20:30:16.744+00:00Awesome Indie Approved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiniE9fcAtw/UzSKUXhVURI/AAAAAAAABp0/cRWvINpEHnw/s1600/aiafinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiniE9fcAtw/UzSKUXhVURI/AAAAAAAABp0/cRWvINpEHnw/s1600/aiafinal.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How do you like my shiny new badge? Orla's Code has been awarded a place on the <a href="http://awesomeindies.net/"><b>Awesome Indies</b></a> list of quality independent fiction! Awesome Indies is a critically acclaimed site that reviews and showcases excellent Indie fiction. What a great idea, to help readers in their search for quality independent books. Their mission is "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><i>to identify and honour independently published books that meet the same standard as books published by major mainstream publishers and their imprints.</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">" I'm feeling proud that Orla's Code has been placed among them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b><a href="http://awesomeindies.net/2014/03/20/bit-light-reading-sneaks-review-orlas-code-fiona-pearse/">Here</a></b> is their 5 star review of Orla's Code. And if you're taking a look around, why not check out </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">their many categories including genre fiction, literary, YA, experimental, and <a href="http://awesomeindies.net/genre-fiction/contemporary-fiction/"><b>contemporary fiction</b></a>, including Orla's Code.</span></div>
Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-28180334325065500602014-03-15T16:01:00.000+00:002014-03-16T17:47:02.757+00:00Character Building<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have finished the first draft of <i>Beverly </i>and while I feel I know the characters instinctively, they have not been more than an outline, a bit like clothes pegs, holding up the plot. A few months ago </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I went to a talk with Eleanor Catton who spoke about her characters having star signs in her novel <i>The Luminaries</i>. I thought this would be a good exercise while fleshing out my characters. Then I thought of some other character definitions to work with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are the three main characters: Beverly, Ella and Roland, described through popular templates.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astrology.com.au/astrology/12-signs-of-the-zodiac/cancer.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The Crab</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span mce_style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span mce_style="font-size: 10pt;">Beverly - </span></span><span mce_style="font-size: 10pt;">Cancer</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A predisposition towards shyness means the Cancerian tends to internalise emotion, but their desire usually centres around security and love. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While known for being passionate and loyal, the 'moon-child' is also known for her moodiness and jealously.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When hurt she tends to shut people out but can also strike back with venom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ella - Aries</span></div>
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<br />A real Aries - Ella is enthusiastic, spontaneous, competitive and a natural leader. Pace of life tends to be <i>hustle and bustle</i> with a positive attitude<i>. </i>Meanwhile<i>, </i>others can be overwhelmed by the Aries, experiencing their self-centred or overbearing side. They are also known to be trusting and have faith in people which can lead to their getting hurt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roland - Taurus</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.astrology.com.au/astrology/12-signs-of-the-zodiac/taurus.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Bull</span></a></td></tr>
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A calm exterior with good self-possession while deep desires remain hidden. The Taurus can be easily charming but doesn't let people in more than he wants. Creature comforts, security and balance in life are real motivators. Determined and reliable, the Taurus tends to think deeply before making a decision and thus can find change stressful. They are also known for their stubbornness and insecurity.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartman_Personality_Profile"><b>The Colour Code</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"The Color Code Personality Profile also known as The Color Code or The People Code, created by Dr. Taylor Hartman, divides personalities into four colors: Red(motivated by power), Blue (motivated by intimacy), White (motivated by peace), and Yellow (motivated by fun)."</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Code-Taylor-Ph-D-Hartman-ebook/dp/B00BORK7RY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394899630&sr=1-1&keywords=the+color+code" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6-9PvhUrIc/Uwt2KlWy-NI/AAAAAAAABjU/CTYBOdDtwfk/s1600/thecolourcode.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you have ever worked for a multinational corporation then you have probably been assessed in this manner. It is really helpful to managers with no natural people skills ... if only they could put stamps on us ... Anyway here's how I think the three would measure</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> up:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly - White</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thoughtful, perceptive, a good listener. Private, comfort seeking. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Avoids conflict.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Ella - Yellow<br />Charming, highly sociable, wants to reach her potential and help others. Can be self-centered. May go outside the rules.<br /><br />Roland - Red<br />Determined, focused, reliable. Can be dominating, can be stubborn and calculating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Pop Culture</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Likes electro-pop and techno. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anything with a strong beat, including music with native </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rhythms like Ladysmith Black Mobaza. Finds drums soothing, earthly - stirring. She doesn't really like dancing but Ella can sometimes get her up on the dance floor after a few drinks. Movies: Forest Gump, Big Fish, rom-coms - anything comforting and sentimental is an outlet for her. She mostly reads fantasy and Sci-Fi - she likes to read about worlds other than her own.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156562.Elizabeth" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri5vT1Ebs44/Uw0Xn_n0boI/AAAAAAAABmM/NboQgeRo01g/s1600/elizabethtaylor.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ella</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Likes any music that she can dance to. Movies: Donnie Darko, Seven, The Princess Bride - Dark thrillers and broad comedy. Hates </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rom-coms - thinks they stereotype her as a single thirty-something and feed on female </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">insecurities. Reads autobiographies of people who inspire her.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv0KP2VjWos/Uwt-IjjBLGI/AAAAAAAABkE/a0ckJxBehRQ/s1600/thegodfather.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Doesn't really get music. He hates dancing. He used to pretend he liked music when he was young but decided this was a bit silly when he was about sixteen and thought that it was better to just be himself. Movies: he identifies with stories where a person changes their circumstances: The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Kane and Abel. He reads biographies about interesting people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't think I'll actually create these, but here's what they would look like:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a shy person, Beverly has a small number of friends on Facebook: school friends that she grew up with, some college mates and a handful of people from her adult life. She never accepts requests from people she doesn't know or like - and she does not mind if people think she is being rude - Ella points it out but Beverly shrugs and says something, like, <i>It is of no consequence</i>. Her activity is mostly music related: w</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hen she goes to gigs, she uploads photos and links to the band's Facebook page. She e</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">xperiments with baking and puts her recipes on Facebook. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Ella</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Holiday photos, selfies, shares jokes, joins communities, debates with people online. 'Likes' articles so they'll be linked to her Facebook page. Where other people feel uncomfortable with their private life being exposed, Ella loves sharing things about herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Roland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The bare minimum. Doesn't have a photo up. Likes to stay connected with his two older brothers in The Netherlands who both have families. He has set up a Facebook account for his parents but they never go online.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b>On to Siblings</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.fanpop.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXZVZfd-tNY/Uw5XF2sFbMI/AAAAAAAABmo/HL2QFpNz5Xk/s1600/partyof5.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly is an only child. It might have been the chaos in school in contrast to the quiet of home that planted a sense of being an outsider in Beverly. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her older parents used to pray for her self-confidence to improve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Ella has three older brothers who she always tried to play with. They were into gaming and gadgets and she followed. A little tomboy who turned herself into a glamorous swan but who still likes to show sh</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">e can hold her own with the boys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Roland also has three older brothers. But since the second youngest, Theo, is the black sheep of the family getting in trouble through drugs and general recklessness, Roland feels like Theo is the youngest. He always aspired to be accepted by his older brothers, the twins, who did take him under their wing.<br /><br /><br /><b>Politics and Papers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beverly is left wing. She feels the suffering of others and rejects Ella's point of view as being ruthless and weakly thought out. She would love to work with a charity and sometimes day-dreams about it. The only paper s</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he reads is The Guardian online. She thinks magazines are a waste of time and finds herself getting depressed about her looks whenever she picks up one of Ella's magazines.</span><br />
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<a href="http://hughash.wordpress.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tN9HrQcwCog/Uw5Y5B_pYSI/AAAAAAAABm0/3NxekQkalIg/s1600/papers.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ella is a pure capitalist. She believes in the power of the individual to better themselves and that a </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">good life is available to everyone if they work hard. She believes Beverly is overly sympathetic for the sake of political correctness and her ideas unrealistic. She r</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">eads gossip magazines and is addicted to rolling news. She also reads the Daily Mail </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">which Beverly throws out whenever she finds. Ella likes the hit of sensationalist journalism but takes and leaves the opinions as she likes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roland believes generally in a welfare state like The Netherlands model, in contrast with the corrupt version of capitalism he sees in other western countries. But he also thinks the Dutch system is taken advantage of. He is more interested in finance than in politics. He reads </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Financial Times - he likes feeling he needs to, and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Th</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">e Guardian. Occasionally he reads De Telegraaf to keep up with what is going on at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What is their deepest desire?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly: Security, stability, to be loved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ella: To be the best she can be. To lead by example</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roland: To be successful in life, marriage, and finances</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What is their worst fear?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly : Speaking in public</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ella : Not reaching her potential</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roland : Not succeeding in life</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First Memories</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beverly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A roundabout in the school playground. It's Beverly's turn. Momentum has picked up and the kids just have to tap the frame to keep it spinning around. Beverly is trying to say <i>Stop </i>but the wind is whipping the word out of her mouth, so only <i>st-st</i> can be heard. It is a moment of delight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ella</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She remembers the squeaking of her arm-bands in the swimming pool and echoing shouts. Her legs are kicking below her but there's no ground. She has a moment of panic as she slips down in the rubber ring around her waist, but then realises what floating is as she bobs in the water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His family are all sitting in the living room with rugs around everyone because the electricity has gone out. He is in between his brothers, under one rug on the couch. Everyone is laughing at his dad, wagging his dog slippers. Roland is frightened by the candle light dancing up the walls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How do you develop your characters? Do you have a method? Do you let them develop organically? It is at times like this I wish I could sketch. These people are living inside my head and they keep telling me about themselves. It's a bit like having ghosts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Click on images for source.</b></i></span></div>
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976672479621832457.post-43066977607035096302014-03-02T17:49:00.000+00:002014-03-02T18:06:52.611+00:00Orla's Code in Readers' Choice Award!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am excited and feel honoured that <a href="http://www.fionapearse.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-it-girl.html">Orla's Code</a> has been nominated for a Readers' Choice Award! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Big Al's Books and Pals - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">recently selected as the Best Review Site</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indies Unlimited - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">receives thousands of books for review and nominates what they consider exceptional writing each year, in 13 categories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The voting has already begun so if you would like to vote for Orla's Code in the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chick-lit/Women's Fiction category</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> then click on the badge and follow the steps. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your vote also entitles you to an entry in Big Al's Giveaway!</span></div>
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<a href="http://booksandpals.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/readers-choice2.html" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nX8y_SDaNhE/UxNomPnR1uI/AAAAAAAABnE/X2cvud5IjiA/s1600/BPnominee2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can find Big Al's Books and Pals' 5-star review of Orla's Code <a href="http://booksandpals.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/orlas-code-fiona-pearse.html">here</a>. </div>
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Fiona Pearsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322089620930374315noreply@blogger.com0