Changing direction

I've sometimes been asked, when I give talks about writing, which were the most exciting moments of my writing career. So far it's been quite easy to answer. There was the day in the early 1990s when I went to a posh event in London to receive an award and very nice cheque for being the 'Winner of Winners' in a national short story competition. Then, of course, the day in 2002 when I got the email from a publisher telling me that there was a contract in the post to me: my first novel had been accepted. That was the best moment of all!  It was exciting, too, when my editor suggested, on accepting my sixth novel, that she'd like me to take on a pseudonym (Olivia Ryan) for a series of three books. And it was also exciting (if a little nerve-racking) when I decided to start self-publishing.

Now I'm approaching another of those moments! In less than four weeks I'll be publishing another new book on Amazon (as a Kindle ebook) - and for the first time it's NOT contemporary fiction, NOT a RomCom - in fact it's something so different from all my previous books, it's almost like I'm starting a brand new career!

YESTERDAY is set in the 1960s - one of the most exciting and socially interesting periods of recent history, and the heroine of the story, Cathy Ferguson, is an ordinary teenager growing up during the years of the Beatles and the Mods and Rockers.

Cover image for YESTERDAY  - publication 17 April

The publication date will be 17 April - this Easter - to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first violent clashes between the Mods and the Rockers at Clacton-on-Sea, which took place at Easter 1964 - and there will be more information about the book on this blog over the next few weeks.

But why did I choose to change genres - and why choose the 1960s?  Well, I was given a piece of advice a few years back my an ex-editor of mine - that I should try writing historical fiction. I laughed. I've got so much respect for my author friends who write historical novels - they love what they do, and the amount of research needed is unbelievable. But history has never been my 'thing' and I couldn't imagine doing it.



- 'Only if the 1960s ever became history!' I replied to the editor at the time.
- 'It is, already,' she said.
I was quite taken aback. I was a teenager during the Sixties and it doesn't feel like history to me!


Me during the 1960s


But the conversation kept coming back to me, and the idea of writing a novel set in the Sixties became more and more attractive until I couldn't resist it any longer!

I've been very lucky that my contemporary books have been popular and I have many loyal readers who might be surprised by my change of direction. So, at the same time as promoting the new book, I'm letting everyone know: it's going to be different! And I really, really hope my readers will enjoy the change as much as I have!

Watch this space for more info about YESTERDAY.

Made to last?

Does anyone else, like me, still live in the past in terms of how long we should expect things to last? By 'things' I mean gadgets, electric and electronic items, household appliances and so on. I hate sounding like I'm continually going on about the 'good old days' (which often weren't), but ... come on!  Kettles and irons etc now don't get repaired because it isn't worth it - we chuck them out and buy new ones. Washing machines, dishwashers and so on  - if they last more than five years you're told you've been lucky. (We've had our washer and dryer for about twelve years and I have no intention of getting rid of them). Some people seem to replace their TV sets or lounge furniture every time they redecorate the room! No wonder they say they haven't got any money!

When we got married in 1970 (here's the 'going on about the good old days' bit), we were given my parents' old fridge, black & white TV set, iron, and hoover - because they were then in a position to replace them with new ones. Mum and Dad had had them for God-knows how many years, but they still served us well for the first few years and we replaced them gradually as they conked out. They also gave us a couple of half-worn-out carpet squares for our first flat, and some old curtains which I altered to fit the windows. I still have the 'curtain' habit - our bedroom curtains in our current home came from our last house. We've been here ten years and they still look fine. A lot of our crockery, cutlery and so on were cast-offs too, and I still use a few things I had new as wedding presents, to say nothing of ancient items I've inherited from Mum and my auntie when they passed away.

We also have a range-style cooker in our kitchen which is over 30 years old. It came with the house - the previous owners had inherited it from the people before them - and it still looks fantastic and cooks like a dream. When we had our kitchen refurbished last year, the boss of the company doing the fitting said if we'd been getting rid of it, he'd have it himself! But we weren't, obviously - in fact we weren't changing any of our appliances. They're still working - why would we change them?

I don't think I'm particularly thrifty - it's just the way we always managed, for most of our lives, without credit cards or loans. I suppose the problem is that technology is moving on so fast, things we buy today will already be out of date next year. I don't really care if there are better versions of my Smart phone, for instance (although I'll change it when the contract's up), and I don't care about having the latest PC, laptop, tablet, Kindle ... as long as the ones I've got do the job I want them to do efficiently. But this situation was brought home to me again recently when I wondered about getting a new digital camera. My old one had a bit of a delay between pressing the button and taking the picture - annoying when trying to capture a baby's smile or getting a toddler to pose! - and everyone told me the latest cameras are much better. 'But I've only had this camera for seven years,' I told the guy at the shop, feeling guilty and extravagant for considering trading up already. 'Seven years?' he scoffed. 'That's a really long time to have a camera.'

I bought a new one. And yes, it is much better. But it still feels extravagant. It must be my age, or my upbringing during the hard-up days of the 1950s. Anyone else feel the same?

Writing Retreat Day

Last week our local chapter of the RNA (Romantic Novelists' Association) held a one-off special event. We normally meet once a month at a pub/hotel in Chelmsford for lunch. They're very informal affairs where we just get together, catch up and discuss our writing.

This time, we hired a conference room and held an all-day event. Each RNA local chapter had been offered some special funding to organise a 'writing retreat day'. We spent quite a bit of time deciding how to plan our day, and agreed that we wanted it to be of benefit to all of us, whether were published or not. We have a mixture of writers in our group - some very successful multi-published authors, some self-published, others aspiring writers and members of the RNA's New Writers Scheme - but we felt sure there were areas where we could all learn from each other.

What we eventually agreed on for the large part of the day was a 'Q&A' session, where questions were collected from all of us in advance, about any problems or queries we had with any aspect of writing whatsoever. These were then directed to whoever in the group was most likely to be able to help - and then discussed at more length around the table. Even the more experienced or more successful writers among us, of course, often need help or advice and it was really interesting to consider the different responses and ideas being expressed in response to the various questions.

As you can imagine, this stimulated a lot of lively discussion, which carried on through the fantastic buffet lunch we'd ordered. After lunch, we spent a little while discussing books we'd recently read - and then went on to take part in a 'flash fiction' game which was designed as a bit of fun and really made us have to think fast, as well as giving everyone a good laugh when we read out the results!

I'd contacted our local paper, the Essex Chronicle, before the event and they published a short feature about our day, and gave some welcome publicity to the RNA, as well as printing a picture of some of us, taken outside the meeting place waving copies of our books!  You can see the feature on the Essex Chronicle On-line  here  .

The event took a bit of organisation, but I had a lot of help from a 'mini committee' of four of the other longstanding members of the group. The best bit about it was that everyone seemed to enjoy the day so much, and I think we all went home feeling that it was really worthwhile. In fact several of the members have said they'd love to do the same kind of thing again. Just one of the many benefits we get from belonging to the RNA!

Girls and boys ...

A rather belated Happy New Year to everyone!

I'm very pleased to say, 2014 has started off well for our family, with the arrival of Grandchild Number Six - Eloise Jessica, who was born a few days early on 6 January.  It's always exciting, and lovely, to have a new baby to cuddle and to watch them grow and develop their own little personalities. We've certainly had plenty of that over the last few years!  Our three daughters now have two children each, and all six have been born within four and a half years.  We feel very blessed and fortunate that we had three healthy and perfect children of our own, and now have six healthy and perfect grandchildren, close enough in age for the siblings and cousins to play together and (we hope!) grow up as close as our girls still are to each other.

Having had no sons ourselves, we are very used to little girls - which is just as well, as five of the six grandchildren are also girls! It goes without saying, none of us (parents or grandparents) minded one iota what sex any of the babies were - but it has been somewhat surprising that Noah, the first of the six, who was four in September, has turned out to be the only boy. (Perhaps I should add 'so far'???) If the genetic background of our own family was responsible, it would be more understandable, as my husband was also the only boy in his family, with three younger sisters. But I've always understood the baby's sex is determined by the father's genes and has nothing to do with the mum's family!

Well, Noah is really good with his two year old little sister Kitty, as well as with the other two year olds - his cousins Caitlin and Alice - and now the two babies - Eva, who's now six months old, and new baby Eloise.  I hope he'll always be as kind and protective to them all as he is now, and perhaps his reward will be - one day in about 10 or 12 years' time - getting to know all their friends! 

And as I grew up with a big brother myself (and two of his mates were among my first boyfriends when I was a teenager), I should add that the five girls might well, one day, be fighting each other over Noah's friends!  But ... let's not think about any of that, for a long time yet. I actually hope they'll stay children for as long as possible. Kids grow up far too fast, don't they!


Growing up together

Christmases past - and presents

Ten days to go - and I'm looking forward to it, as always. Our Christmases are growing, as the family expands. This year, the grandchildren are bound to be excited. Noah's now four, and the three little girl cousins, Caitlin, Alice and Kitty, are all between two and two-and-a-half. We now also have 'Baby Eva' who's five months old. And a couple of weeks after Christmas, grandchild No.6 is due to arrive! And so the dynasty continues ...

Recently I've been pondering how much Christmas has changed over the years since I was a child. We all tend to talk about having no money, these days, but the standard of living of most people is vastly different from that of the average family in the 1950s. Back then, very few families had cars, TVs, fridges, central heating, washing machines, fitted carpets, or many of the other things we don't consider luxuries anymore. My brother and I, and most of the children I knew, would normally receive one present such as a doll, a toy car, a teddy-bear or game from their parents for Christmas. For years I yearned for a rocking horse but I knew I'd never get one because they were too expensive and took up too much space. Then of course there would also be the stocking (never a pillow-case!) hung up for Father Christmas, which would contain sweets, crayons or pencils, perhaps a little puzzle or a rolled-up colouring book, and the inevitable orange and nuts.

Without wishing to sound old and boring, it's nevertheless true that we kids were just as excited with these things as our own daughters were with their Sindy dolls, 'Care Bears' and whatever else happened to be the fashionable toys each year during the late 70s and early 80s when they were growing up. To say nothing of the carefully chosen new Christmas outfits, of course. New clothes?! Back in the 50s we were lucky if our mums had knitted us a new jumper, darned our socks, and let down the hems of our dresses to last another year! 

And now there's more pressure on today's parents than ever - with the incessant advertising on TV  for the latest electronic or 'educational' toys. How long before our daughters are looking back misty-eyed to the days of their own childhood when 'all' they received were Sindy's house, car, caravan, horse, dog and barbecue!

It's lovely this year, hearing our four-year-old and two-year-old grandchildren saying they'd like a toy hoover, or a 'pink torch' or 'a star' (?) for Christmas ... and I hope it's a long, long time before they start wanting mobile phones, laptops, play-stations and their own TVs.  I don't want them to grow up too quickly and I'm sure their parents don't, either - quite apart from the costs involved in such extravagant presents.

When I read about parents fighting each other, or bribing their child's teacher, to get their little Harry or Lily a star part in the class nativity play, I really do wonder what the hell's gone wrong. I heard recently about a two-year-old whose mother said the child was 'desperate' to play the part of the Angel Gabriel. Quite apart from it being unlikely the two-year-old had any idea who the Angel Gabriel was, why was the mother herself so 'desperate' for this to happen? So that she could post a photo on Facebook? Show off about the child's acting abilities? Why are some people pushing their kids into things earlier and earlier, and where's it all going to end?  I suppose some mothers are fighting over whose baby gets to lie in the manger!

Back in the 50s, it was far more common for families to go to church, and for the kids to go to Sunday school, and the nativity pageant and carol service were woven into the fabric of the church year rather than being something put on in much the same vein as a fancy dress party. Of course it was always an exciting part of the season, but it was also treated with a kind of respect because most of our parents and teachers genuinely believed in the birth of Christ and were teaching us about it at Christmas, at the same time as buying presents and decorating the tree. I think, and hope, I did the same for our children and although I realise that lots of people don't share this belief, I feel sad that children aren't always even taught what Christmas is actually all about, even if only for the sake of carrying on the rich traditions involved.  How sad if their only understanding of a nativity play is their parents' 'desperation' to see them dressed up to play one of the main parts!

I hate to say it ... but how long before we see 'The Nativity Play' on TV as a new children's talent show, with toddlers competing each week for the glittering prize of playing Mary or Joseph in the final - and their parents in the audience screaming encouragement at them as they lisp 'I've just got to win, it's the only thing that matters to me'.  The really scary thing is that it wouldn't even surprise us, would it!

On a happier note - some things about Christmas never change, and I hope they never do. Being with our families, thinking of those we can't be with, wrapping and giving presents, enjoying the excitement of the children all over again with each generation - these things are worth so much more than having a new TV, an obscene amount of food and drink, new sparkly clothes or expensive gifts.

I never did get that rocking-horse, but NOT getting it has been a more valuable experience in the long run. Let's be honest - none of us can say it hurt us, not having the latest toys or technology when we were young - but if our parents stuck us in an Angel Gabriel costume and shoved us up on the stage, we're probably still having nightmares about it to this day!

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone, whatever you do and whoever you do it with.

Sheila Norton Newsletter November 2013

Now my blog's up and running again in my real name, I thought it would be helpful to post my author newsletters on here for anyone who may be interested in the latest news.  Of course, if you'd prefer to have your name added to my mailing list to receive these updates by email, just let me know. The mailings are only sent out two or three times a year so you can rest assured you won't ever be inundated, or have your details passed on to anyone else. You can contact me by responding on this blog, or through either of my websites: www.sheilanorton.co.uk or www.oliviaryan.com  .

Meanwhile here's the news ....

 

 

Author Newsletter: November 2013

 

Hello again to all my friends and readers – welcome to this latest update about my books and writing. And to start off, I’ve got some good news for those of you waiting for the third in the series about the Jennings sisters. Here it is, now available on Amazon for Kindle:

 

 

Millie Being Married (How to stay married – and love it!)

Millie and Tom were only eighteen, and expecting a baby, when they got married. At the time, they featured in a TV documentary about teenage marriage – convinced they would beat the odds and prove to their families that their relationship would survive.
Now, fifteen years later, their two daughters are stroppy teenagers, money is tight and although they’re still together, life’s not exactly a bed of roses. The TV company wants to produce a follow-up film about how their marriage has turned out. Which would be fine … except that there are a couple of things Millie would prefer not to be revealed in the documentary. In fact she’d prefer they weren’t even revealed to Tom.
Can Millie and Tom survive the intrusion of the film crew into their already stressful lives? Or will the cameras perhaps expose some secrets that would have been better kept hidden?

 

Download the book now for only 77p at:  http://tinyurl.com/qgs9eng

(this is a shortened link to the Amazon page, for your convenience) – and find out what happens to Sophie and Debra’s youngest sister, Millie, when the TV crew descends on her family!

 

I hope to produce the book as a paperback in due course for those who prefer their novels in paper format. Meanwhile I hope those of you who download the digital version will enjoy Millie’s story. And of course, many thanks to all those who have already read the previous two books and been in touch to say how much you’ve liked them.

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Out and about

 

Although we writers by necessity spend most of our time with our bums planted firmly in our chairs and our fingers glued to the keyboard, playing with our imaginary friends, we do occasionally get allowed out too. I’ve been quite busy this year on the ‘writer talks’ circuit, within my home county of Essex, visiting various clubs and organisations who like a speaker to entertain them (I use the word loosely!). 

 

I remember this being a fairly nerve-racking experience when I first started, but over the years I’ve come to enjoy it. I normally talk about some aspects of a writer’s life, maybe dispelling a few myths but hopefully not putting off too many would-be authors in the process!

 

I’ve presented talks to as few as half a dozen people, and to as many as 200 in a crowded hall with standing-room only. The organisations have ranged from U3A groups to WI clubs, Lions and Rotary clubs, Townswomen’s Guilds, and earlier this year I gave a talk to the lovely members of a local centre for the blind and partially sighted. Yes, even though they weren’t able to read my books! – they were a very appreciative audience, and enjoyed hearing a reading of a chapter of ‘Sophie Being Single.’  Of course I’ve also taken part in many local library events – I’m an ardent supporter of the library service.

 

I’d like to think most of my audiences have enjoyed these talks, although there have been one or two times where someone has walked out halfway through – but because of a timing issue rather than in disgust!  

 

Taking part in a writer panel event with other authors who are good friends is a particularly enjoyable type of occasion. These are very relaxed affairs, with one of us acting as chairperson, asking the others to talk about their lives and their writing, and then throwing it open to the audience to ask us questions. It’s a popular type of event and we’re often asked back. Last month, for instance, Maureen Lee, Fenella Miller, Jean Fullerton and I held a panel afternoon in Wivenhoe Library as part of the WivWords Festival.

 

 Our author panel at Wivenhoe Library

 

Sadly there was torrential rain on the day, which kept a lot of people away, but the small audience was enthusiastic and the library staff are hoping we can repeat the event as part of the Essex Book Festival next year. We’ve done this previously at Hadleigh Library.

 

Regardless of circumstances, the ‘show’ always goes on, and I always enjoy chatting to members of the audience afterwards. It makes a change from talking to people who only exist in my head!

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‘Other People’s Lives’                                 

 

 

As promised, I’m giving a short intro and background to one of my earlier books in each newsletter, and this time it’s ‘Other People’s Lives’, the second of my published novels.

 

This is the story of Beth, a single mum who’s just about to turn thirty and feels like her life has become a dead-end. Deserted by her little girl’s father, she’s had to resort to cleaning other people’s homes to help to provide for herself and four-year-old Ellie. Fortunately her best friend, Fay, is a tower of strength and support to her, and despite the struggles Beth faces, she enjoys getting involved in the lives of her clients – perhaps a little too involved in some cases. But when she falls out with Fay, it really does feel like Beth is on her own. All she wanted from everyone was some honesty … was that too much to ask for? Or is she really being honest with herself?

 

‘Other People’s Lives’ is very much a story about friendship and loyalty, as well as ending with a bit of romance. It was originally published in 2003 in hardback, and in 2004 in paperback. It was translated into Italian, and was also sold to an American publisher, who published it in the States under the title of ‘Would I Lie to You?’. One of the most exciting moments of my writing career came when the book was the subject of a mini-auction between two film companies who were interested in the film rights – although sadly, nothing came of that in the end!

 

Since publishing this book on Amazon for Kindle it’s done really well and is currently the best seller of my backlist. I hope you’ll download it and have a read, if you haven’t already!

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I’m always pleased to hear from my readers; feedback about my books is very important to me. And finally, please feel free to forward this newsletter to any friends who may be interested.

 

Meanwhile, Happy Reading until next time!

Sheila / Olivia                            

www.sheilanorton.co.uk 
www.oliviaryan.com

 

 

 

St Jude's - and other storms

So how are we all today? Wet, windblown, trees fallen down in the garden? Here in mid Essex, I think we got off reasonably lightly, although even now at 2pm, the sky's black, the rain's beating down and there's still a fair old wind blowing. I saw branches blown off trees as I walked round our neighbourhood this morning, but nothing worse, thank goodness. I'm sure there are other parts of the country that suffered a far worse fate. There's already one terribly tragic story about a teenage boy feared drowned off the south coast and we're surely all feeling for his poor family.

But luckily in my own area, the worst result of the storm is probably the inconvenience to people who normally commute to work, or who were planning to travel today. There were no trains running at all until at least midday, flights cancelled from Heathrow, and the QE2 Bridge at the Dartford crossing on the Thames has been closed, which would have caused horrendous queues on both the Essex and Kent sides of the river as the Dartford Tunnel was used in contraflow.

At times like this it's always hard to know whether there's any overreaction from transport bosses, but to be fair, if they didn't err on the side of caution, putting passenger/motorist safety as their first priority, imagine how they'd be pilloried if they carried on as normal and there were serious accidents. Likewise, if we sometimes think the weather forecasters get it wrong, or act with any degree of caution or exaggeration, there are always complaints - but they can't really win, can they? If they told us not to worry, that it wouldn't be too bad, and we ended up with a hurricane the likes of the 1987 one, we'd all quite rightly be asking why they'd got it so wrong again.

Cue poor Michael Fish, who has never lived down his comment back in 1987 that there really wasn't a hurricane coming.  The country was caught out, that time, and I can understand forecasters not wanting to be in that situation again.  The trouble is that we just don't expect hurricanes in England, do we! 

During the night of 15/16 October 1987, I woke several times thinking it was very windy outside, but was completely unprepared for the devastation we saw in the morning. In fact, my children will remember that even in the morning I hadn't yet appreciated how serious it was. I insisted they got ready for school, thinking my neighbour who'd told her kids they wouldn't be going was being too lenient by letting them have the day off. It was only as we started to walk to school that I saw how bad the damage to trees and property was, and we soon learnt from others coming back our way that both the children's schools were closed. That storm, as we now know, killed 18 people in the UK, destroyed an estimated 15 million trees, and was designated as the worst to hit our country since 1703.  In fact it was after this that the Government allocated funding for the Met Office to set up the National Severe Weather Warning system.

The 1987 hurricane is well remembered, but people don't seem to talk so much about the so-called 'Burns Day' storm of 25 January 1990, although in fact a tragically higher number of people were killed on this occasion - 47 - because the height of the storm was during the day instead of at night. There was one story of a whole class of children in Sussex being evacuated minutes before their building collapsed. There were gusts of wind with speeds just as high as in the 1987 hurricane, although apparently (and according to my understanding), to be classed as a hurricane proper, a storm has to record wind speeds that are sustained over a certain period rather than in gusts. Other than this, probably the main difference between the 1987 and 1990 events was the fact that on 25 January 1990 the forecasters got it right.

On that day of the Burns Day storm I arrived home to find our brick garden wall completely collapsed into the garden. It was quite shocking to witness first hand the damage a storm could do in the normally temperate climate of southern England. From my point of view only one good thing came out of it. I wrote a short story set on the day of the storm, and it was eventually published in one of the women's magazines.  Like most writers, I can usually turn the unfortunate things in my life to good use in fiction. So perhaps St Jude won't be a lost cause this year after all. But I do hope you are all safe and well after last night's bad weather.