Sam Hayes

N is for NaNoWriMo

2011-11-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Considering all the NaNoWriMo excitement around at the moment, I just had to make it N in my A-Z. November is a month of furious novel writing, a creativity-filled four weeks with thousands of writers around the world bent over their keyboards hammering out a little over sixteen hundred words a day. I'm not actually signed up for it but quite wish I was, given all the goings-on and banter at the moment.

So what is NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and began in 1999 in San Francisco. In brief, it's based around a website where writers register and commit to writing a 50,000 word novel in just a month. The site will help you plan your novel, keep track of your progress, you'll get loads of support during this brain-crunch time, there are forums covering all aspects of writing and publishing, and you have the chance to join regional meets during November. Sounds like fun. It also sounds like hard work.

Or does it? I suppose that very much depends on how much time you have each day to devote to your task. If you're working a fifty hour week already, add these words on top and it's going to be a pretty hard slog both physically and mentally. The opposite is also true. If you have all day to give to NaNo then it's an easy prospect...surely?

In my experience (and I'm writing my ninth novel now with seven so far published) no two days of writing output are the same. Writers don't have a measurable rating, sadly, and experience doesn't always mean the words will come on demand (though I don't believe in writers' block). Some of my best writing stints happen when I'm severely under pressure either from deadlines or other commitments. While it's luxurious to amble through a novel with no one breathing down your neck for a delivery date, this can also result in a bit of procrastinating and the self-imposed deadlines get kicked back and back on the calendar until you wished you hadn't set one in the first place.

If you're a newbie writer, then leaping into NaNoWriMo will probably feel a bit like running a half-marathon without having trained. In fact, I've always likened writing to exercise. Writing's a bit of a muscle in my book (haha) and needs to be exercised regularly. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Really! And I don't mean that the ideas, the language, the skill will necessarily become easier - I mean the actual discipline of sitting down and writing solidly for two, three four, ten hours at a time will become second nature the more you do it.

For the more experienced or published writer, NaNo might seem like just another day at the coal-face. Words come, hopefully the right ones, and the book progresses. But in both cases, the added bonus of fellow participant motivation (if she/he can do it, then so can I), the brilliant community where you can post about your head-bashing word count of fifty or boast about the five thousand you knocked-off before breakfast, shouldn't be underestimated. Writing is a lonely business. Support is vital. And then the sense of achievement at the end when you type the fifty thousandth word and write, well, The End, will be immense. Though remember, most published novels are usually between eighty to a hundred and twenty thousand words, so there's a little way to go once you've 'got down the bones.'

But that's the whole point of the novel writing month, so say its fans (and I am one!). Get it down, bash/churn/hammer it out however it comes, do not go back and revise, do not stop and do not give up. I completely agree. I've never written a novel that way exactly but I can certainly relate to the process. When I'm writing, I like to write about two thousand words a day. I will cheat a little and edit the previous day's work the next morning but not very much. The big edits come later.

So, NaNoWriMo - it's fast, it's furious, it's fun and gives a huge sense of achievement to have completed such a large body of work at the end of the month. I'm sure the website will have lots of advice about editing your novel once it's written. My suggestion would be to forget about it for about a month or so then re-read it, say, in the New Year. Do not cringe in horror, do not delete or burn. Do remember how many hours of work you put into your novel and do believe that it can be added to, edited, polished and improved by applying a good dose of your November discipline. This is normal. All writers go through it.

And if publication is your aim, you're going to need an agent. Being absolutely certain of your work, knowing it's the very best it can be, is essential. If another month of polishing is what it needs then do it - the agents aren't going anywhere. I can't stress this enough. Agents aren't looking for a way to reject you - they're really hoping your work will be stunning. But a rushed manuscript isn't going to do you any favours. A few typos can certainly be forgiven but a novel without a compelling story, believable characters and brilliant ending can't.

There have been a number of NaNoWriMo successes. Julia Crouch and Elizabeth Haynes (their books are fab - I've read them both) spring to mind and both bagged publishing deals from spending thirty days one November writing seventeen hundred words a day. Of course, there was a lot of work subsequently but it certainly got them off to a flying start!

So if you want to write a novel and fast but haven't signed up, don't despair. There are still twenty-eight days left in November. That's only 1785 words a day compared to the original of 1666. Happy NaNoWriMo to all participants and good luck!

Sam x

Shortlisted for The Big Red Read 2011!

2011-08-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

So the holiday season is pretty much over and autumn seems to have set in rather early in Warwickshire. I even lit the fire over the weekend as I seemed to be doing a weird shaking thing. Shivering, I've heard it's called. A post-Crete adjustment, I suppose, and I don't really mind. I like log fires and I like autumn. I seem to produce my best writing during this season so bring it on!

Meantime, my novel SOMEONE ELSE'S SON has been shortlisted for The Big Red Read 2011 and I'd be mighty chuffed if anyone fancies taking a quick trip to the website to vote, especially if it's for my book! All you need to do is send an email to bigredreadvoting@visionrcl.org.uk and say which book and author you're voting for. I'm really pleased to have been shortlisted in such good company!

I was messing about in Crete trying to be a bit arty with my camera and thought I'd post a couple of my favourite pics (click to enlarge). The first one had me staring thoughtfully. Taken rather lazily from my towel on the only bad weather day we had all fortnight, it screamed New Novel Cover at me and youngest She-Devil was rather pleased to have been of assistance. Rather moody and dramatic, it could so easily be the Cornish beach in the novel rather than a beach in the Med.

There were lots of cats draped around the place and they seemed to love nothing more than a nice snuggle in a rubbish dump (not that I went sightseeing around bins).

Yes, the sky was always this blue...wasn't sure what the white stuff in the sky was when we came home.

Someone's house in the old town of Rethymnon.

A little caff in Rethymnon. Not Costa.

It'll be Christmas before you know it.

Sam x

TELL TALE goes to Norway

2011-07-20T04:45:00.001-07:00

Here's my Norwegian cover for TELL TALE...absolutely beautiful! Thank-you so much to everyone at Cappelen Damm!

In other news, I'll be mooching around at Harrogate this weekend at the Crime Festival so hope to bump into some tweeps!

Sam x

M is for Marketing

2011-06-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is a huge topic and not one I'm going to scratch the surface of in a quick-fire, catch-up post on my slightly neglected A-Z of (my experiences) in publishing. In fact, what I know about the subject has been largely gathered from my own books being published. So these are just some of my thoughts/experiences regarding marketing.

Obviously, marketing a book costs. And from what I gather, to do it properly costs a lot. These days, there are many ways to market a book--newspaper adverts, tube posters and other poster campaigns (taxis, buses, mainline stations etc), television adverts, in-store promotions such as the lovely 'front table' or the 3 for 2, other paid-for promotions...maybe competitions, perhaps alongside another 'compatible' product (think books and chocolate!). This is just scratching the surface and, as an author, it's completely out of my hands. I'm not the one with the budget (or not), the publisher is. And they decide how best to implement a marketing campaign for their titles. I've been much more involved with the publicity side of things (think marketing but for free!) as that's where an author can really help get things rolling at a book's launch and beyond. But that's another post.

I've been very lucky. My first novel BLOOD TIES was published within a fanfare of tube posters and in-store promotions. It's very hard to have a novel picked up by a supermarket or chain bookshop for their precious shelf space, but my first was stacked high in all three big supermarkets in their chart promotions, as well as appearing on the front tables in Waterstone's, WH Smith and poor old Borders. I remember accosting a woman in Asda. She was holding a copy of my novel and another book, weighing up which one to buy. 'Pick that one,' I suggested. 'Have you read it?' she asked, surprised I'd even shown an interest. 'I wrote it,' I told her. I don't think she believed me.

I went on a whirlwind tour of the underground with my publicist at the time. She proudly showed me some of the many posters plastered all over subterranean London (and a good number of mainline stations nationwide, too). I was hot from dashing around but immensely proud to see my book, my name, decorating tube stations. I have one of the posters. It's still rolled up in its container as I don't have a wall big enough to put it on!

The marketing campaign, along with lots of lovely publicity, really helped spread the word about BLOOD TIES. The book sold a lot of copies and it makes me wonder: Would this have happened without the marketing spend? Would publicity have been enough? Would 'word of mouth' have achieved the same figures?

Like I said, it's a huge subject and I'm not even a tiny bit of an expert on it - just a speculator, a consumer, a person whose books have been marketed. As a consumer, marketing works on me to a certain extent. If I see a poster or an advert for a new book and I like the sound of it - either by a favourite author or a new one - I'll certainly make a mental note to look it up online later. Then, based on the blurb, a quick flip through, perhaps online reviews, I'll decide whether or not to buy. So, for me, in that respect, marketing works. It draws my attention to books I perhaps wouldn't get to hear about. Or would I?

These days, most people (not all, I realise) have internet access and many will do as I do and check out books online, even if that's not where they end up buying. And of course with the rising popularity of Kindle and other e-readers, you're more likely than ever to research online. I suppose the perfect marketing food chain goes like this: Reader spots advert for book, reader comes across a piece in a magazine written by the same author featured in the advert, reader looks at author website and reads an excerpt of the book, reader buys book from local independent bookshop (as well as a Kindle edition or similar) and then reader, publisher and author are happy. All for an average price of around £4.50.

I have no breakdown of the cost of producing a book and neither do I know the average spend (or the smallest and the greatest) for a marketing drive. I'm convinced that for certain titles, the figure would be immense. We're all used to seeing huge advertising campaigns for the giant names but surely it's a circle that will only continue to grow once the wheels of paid-for promotions have begun to turn. What would happen to these authors if they didn't have marketing? I doubt Dan Brown would suddenly stop selling if his books weren't on the sides of buses or that John Grisham's loyal readers would quit waiting for his latest title if there were no posters. What would happen if unknown and debut novelists had a massive marketing spend instead? Would it be wasted? Would it be the start of great things for authors who wouldn't otherwise have been heard of? Is it fair that the book-buying public only get presented with a small number of books as we go about our daily business, the occasional advert for a new novel catching our eye?

I don't know the answer to these questions. The publishers hold the key to successful advertising. They have marketing departments filled with people who know their stuff. Authors trust them and keep writing books. It's the readers, the great book-buying public, who hold the key really, I suppose. We're the ones who respond to the advertising, we're the suggestible ones who maybe unconsciously react to what our brains have soaked up. So perhaps next time I'm in a bookshop I'll walk on past the front tables and the cardboard promotion stands and do eeny-meeny on some authors I haven't read before. Not that I don't anyway and I'll no doubt grab an armful of 3 for 2s on the way out.

BLOOD TIES had a television advert in Germany. The first cover for this title in Germany had the heads of two rather freaky porcelain dolls on the front. I had no idea what the advert said (apart from the 'Krimis und Thriller' bit). The dolls' eyes popped open at the end and everything. Three books down the line in Germany and 'Das Verbotene Zimmer' (TELL TALE) is currently hanging around number 10 on the Amazon.de crime and thriller list. Clearly dolls with popping eyes work well over there!

WordFest Crawley

2011-03-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick plug for WordFest beginning this weekend in Crawley. A whole week of fab literary events is planned, including everything from an illustrative lettering workshop to an open mic night to author panel events...which is where I come in.

On Saturday 2nd April, I'll be doing a 'Meet the Crime Writers' panel discussion with fellow Headline author Julia Crouch as well as Peter Lovesey and Andrew Martin. We'll be talking about our books - we're all quite different in terms of what we write - the writing process and how we ramp up the tension. Of course, it wouldn't be a panel event without lots of questions from the audience, so come along and give us a good grilling!

The event is being held in the Food Court at County Mall, Crawley and begins at 6.30pm. Tickets are £3 each and you can buy our books there too - and get them signed, of course!

Hope to see you there!
Sam x

World Book Night in Crawley

2011-03-02T03:20:00.000-08:00

Live in or around Crawley? Then why not pop along to Waterstone's and get me to sign a book (preferably one that I wrote, although I'm happy to sign anything really). I'll be there from 4PM with copies of SOMEONE ELSE'S SON and fellow Headline author Julia Crouch.

Here's a link to County Mall where you'll find Waterstone's at 83-84 County Mall, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1FD Telephone 01293 533471.

Then...it's off to Crawley Library for an event for World Book Night. It starts at 6.30PM and costs a mere £3 which includes a free book (Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell or Shadow Magic, a young adult book by John Lenahan) so you can't say fairer than that. Plus I'll be reading from my latest novel along with several other authors.

Crawley Library is on Southgate Avenue, Crawley - close to County Mall (exit via Debenhams). The postcode for SatNavs is RH10 6HG. Contact the Box Office on 01293 651751.

If you think about it, you can come to the signing in Waterstone's, grab an early supper (or carry on shopping) then come on over for a glass of vino and some quality fiction. Sorted!

See you there!
Sam x

Another one from Russia with love...

2011-02-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

Russian cover of TELL TALE - 'THE INFORMER'

This time it's Big Bird and a little ballet dancer but oh how I love it, despite it being rather sinister-looking! It's the cover of Tell Tale and my Russian contact (aka my Dad's wife - see my piece in the Sunday Times Style magazine this week for more on that story!) informs me that it translates as, well, The Informer. Quite fitting. I seriously would love all my Russian covers as big framed pictures in my house. Of course, put these images on my books in the UK and my readers would stand in the bookshops scratching their heads wondering what on earth I'd written about. If you take a flick down the side of my blog you can see how the different countries have their very unique ideas for covers, with the German edition of Tell Tale (The Forbidden Room) looking quite different to the previous two.

And soon I'll be adding Dutch and Norwegian covers with the ink still wet on contracts for more titles sold in these countries.

I'm now a paid-up official member of the Crime Writers' Association (why didn't I join before, I'm asking myself?) and I'm very excited about going along to my first get-together and meeting other members. I hear that they like the bar. I'm not sure they mean the legal one.

Meantime, I'm nearly done ploughing through an office stuffed full of paperwork and accounts - it suffers for my art, you see (well that's my excuse) and I will be starting work on my new novel next week. I've been tinkering and planning and plotting for several weeks now and I'm ready to begin in earnest. I'm not keen on the little gaps between books but alas they are necessary to sort the mess that grows while I'm immersed in writing. I think new curtains and a lick of paint might well be in order too. I may even post a pic of the 'writer's workspace' if it turns out well. I'm always intrigued to see other writer's places of creation.

Sam x

Nice Review from Downunder

2011-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

A little trumpet-blowing never hurt anyone on a Friday afternoon. I've just been sent a nice review from Australian Women's Weekly so thought I'd share in the hope it will tempt you to dash out and buy my new book, SOMEONE ELSE'S SON. Have a great weekend all!

Sam x

Click on image to enlarge

A bit of book stalking

2011-01-25T03:04:00.001-08:00

So She-Devil and I did a little bit of book stalking at the weekend. Hey, tell me an author who doesn't? Or vanity-google (or lay in bed really late - ahem). Here are a couple of pics. And did you see my fab book trailer yet? Go to my website to take a look. There's a link on the main page. Not following me on Facebook or Twitter (@samhayes) yet? Please do! Oh, and you can buy my book online here.

In good company WH Smith

Youngest She-Devil doing a bit of promotion work

It might look as if I did an impromptu, in-store reading...

SOMEONE ELSE'S SON Out Now In Paperback!

2011-01-20T04:22:00.000-08:00

So it's been that kind of day again...a paperback publication kind of a day - yay! SOMEONE ELSE'S SON is released into the wild. You can buy it at WH Smith in the chart section of their shops and of course from Amazon...or, dare I say it, you can find it in your local library. Assuming you can still find your local library.

The theme of this book was clear from the outset. It's about being different, about not fitting in, about being true to yourself and your beliefs. The main characters, from famous daytime TV presenter Carrie Kent to blind mathematician Brody to the two teenagers and their love-hate affair, all suffer for their differences, their quirks, their circumstances.

The book opens with a tragic event. A teenager is stabbed in his school grounds. Knife crime is something we read about almost daily in the news and every time it makes me shudder. I'm a mother of three (two of them teens) and, not long after I began writing this book, I was shocked to find my home town silenced from fear as yellow police crime tape cordoned off a section of our town centre one Sunday morning. A young man had been stabbed to death only a short distance from our home. Yet we all think This will never happen to me...

Carrie Kent believes just that and is thankful on a daily basis that she's nothing like the no-hopers she interviews on her Jeremy-Kyle-meets-Crimewatch TV show. But then she gets the call every mother dreads--her son has been stabbed at school--and she's suddenly plunged into a nightmare she'd always believed happened to other people. The only witness is a girl too terrified about consequences to speak out. Determined to find answers, Carrie enters an unknown world of fear and violence and gradually discovers things about the son she clearly knew little about. The novel asks: Do we really ever know our children?

Even after four books, it's still a thrill to know that a book I wrote is Out There, being bought, being read, being reviewed, being talked about. Be sure to let me know what you think as there's nothing better for an author than the sound of the inbox pinging with some nice (hopefully!) words. Enjoy! (Although it's quite sad in places so have a box of tissues close.)

Meantime, I've finished next novel. Haha to 'finished' but it now lies in the hands of Lovely Agent and I will await comments without destroying my non-existent nails. You hear about authors saying 'This book wrote itself' - well, of course it didn't - *I* wrote it, but it seemed to have a momentum all its own. I began it during the second week of Septemeber last year and finished the first draft at the end of November. At a hundred and twenty thousand words, that's physically no mean feat, but it's true that the story flowed faster than my fingers could manage. I even have high hopes that no one will chew the end of their pencil over the title on this one. Not saying owt yet but news to follow soon.

I have a number of events coming up this year and a couple of panels with some other lovely writers (does that mean I'm lovely too - oops!). I'm planning on attending Harrogate Crime Festival in the summer and also Crimefest in the middle of May. I had the pleasure reading a fellow Headline author's debut novel recently and I'll be posting a review of CUCKOO here soon. But why not take a look at the author Julia Crouch's site and blog to find out how she got published. NaNoWriMo was involved. We'll be doing a panel event together soon along with author Barbara Nadel. Details to follow soon.

Happy reading!

Sam x

Happy Publication Day to me!

2010-10-14T03:52:00.001-07:00

Yay...the hardback of SOMEONE ELSE'S SON is published today. And to celebrate (apart from chocolate with my coffee...heavens, I know how to live it up) here's a link to my fabulous new book trailer.

Do let me know what you think! It will be on my website very soon and on Amazon etc. It's weird but very cool to see images that literally seem to have come from my head when I was writing this book suddenly translated into a video clip. And talking of book trailers, it's still not too late to vote for your fave from the four finalists over on the Foyle's Book Video Awards site...cough ....vote S J Bolton...cough...

A nice review from the Northern Echo here and a reminder of the competition over at the Euro Crime site to win a hardback copy of my new book. Another competition at the wonderful Book Club Forum site but hurry as this one ends today! Michelle from BCF has also written a review and you can read it here.

There's also going to be a review in the Sun this Friday I believe and also in Bella and Stylist magazines as well as the Daily Mail at some point. And finally some other nice news to reveal...TELL TALE has sold to Norway!

Sam x

Foyles Book Trailer Awards

2010-10-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Being the seat-of-the-pants gal that I am, I totally meant to blog about this before now. But totally didn't. Anyway, better late than never...so I insist that you go immediately to the Foyles website and take a look at the amazing (and I do mean amazing!) book trailers that have made it into the final of the 2010 video awards.

There are four finalists and each clip is of such a high standard, you'd think they were for a major Hollywood production. I've already voted for my favourite, Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton. Sharon tells me "A very talented young German student has produced a fabulous trailer for my latest book and it's got through the the final four of the Awards." A talented student indeed - just look at it! Seriously sinister. And being a CWA finalist for the Gold Dagger award makes this book doubly exciting.

Why am I so enthused by book trailers currently? Because I've been trying to 'direct' a trailer for my latest book. I tell you, it's easier to write the damn book than it is to chop it up into three second clips and come up with a few punchy words. Of course, with a budget of exactly zero pounds, it is proving...interesting. But thanks to the resourcefulness and talent of my techie other half, we very nearly have a minute and a half of gritty trailer to let loose very soon for this week's publication of SOMEONE ELSE'S SON.

Meantime, as I said, I insist you hop over to the National Book Video Awards voting page before OCTOBER 15th (this coming Friday!), take a look at the clips, agree with me whole-heartedly about S.J. Bolton's being the best...and vote! It only takes a second and actually gets you very excited about reading the books. And for more information on Sharon and her thrillers, she has a fab website and blog here.

And talking of trailers...I'll soon be posting news of an exciting 'blog trail' where you can read excerpts from my new novel!
Sam x

Library Events

2010-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Just a quick mention of two libraries that's I'll be visiting in October. On 20th October I'll be at Dudley Library between 10am and 12 noon talking about SOMEONE ELSE'S SON.

Then on 21st October (evening) I'll be at Rugby Library with Judith Allnatt discussing our work, including my new book. Our styles and subject matter are very different indeed so should make for a varied and interesting evening! Contact the library for details on 01788 533250.

TGIF

2010-09-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a funny old week. One where lots has been done but has left me wondering if anything's actually been achieved. As for actual creative words, there have been some - mostly in the form of New Novel - and some in the form of a Christmas (yes Christmas!) short story. What I really need to get my head around (and dear agent, forgive me if you're reading this) is a synopsis.

The synopsis is a strange thing. The dictionary says it's a brief summary of the main points of a written work. Absolutely correct, of course, but it's way more than that when you're trying to capture not only the main plotlines and how they all hang together, but also convey the tone, setting, suspense and feel of the novel. And really, no one likes to read a synopsis that's more than a couple of pages long. Lengthy descriptions of characters and scenery are a big no-no and the worst bit is, you have to give away the ending. When you don't even know it. Hence synopsis-avoidance syndrome in my house this week.

With the Frankfurt Bookfair (don't you love 'Buchmesse'?) drawing near, much talk in the trade mags is about ebooks and pricing and basically how it's all going to work. When ebooks were just a twinkle in the publisher's eye, no one really knew how it would pan out. Now it's panning, potentially quite nicely, authors just want it to be fair. For everyone. We all work hard. Everyone has a part to play. I have a Sony ereader and to be honest, I don't use it nearly as much as I should. Not because I prefer the feel of a book (although that's nice) but because I can't get the books I want for it at a reasonable price. But hark at me, the author, complaining about high prices! We all expect £4 supermarket paperbacks to be the norm since the NBA did a runner. What do we expect with ebooks? The truth is, I don't think anyone really knows yet.

I got rather excited yesterday when a delivery man called with the familiar boxes that I knew instantly contained my hardback author copies of SOMEONE ELSE'S SON. I lugged them into the kitchen, snipped the tape and spent an indulgent few moments handling them very carefully. They smell and look gorgeous. And eldest She-Devil was delighted when she saw the dedication. This one's for her.

Talking of the hardback, as I type it's now reduced by £5 on Amazon. A bit of a bargain for such a quality read so why not get ahead of yourselves and bag a few for Christmas pressies? Pre-ordering is easy and you'll receive your copies mid-October. Plus, if you email me your address and what you want me to say, I'll personalise and sign a book plate for you to include. A treat for you or a loved-one. (Sorry, I'm a serious sales slut at the moment.)

So the week's drawing to a close and I'm off to gather the harvest. She-Devil # 1 asked me to bring 'stuff' to school as a matter of urgency for Sunday's harvest festival. Here's me thinking giant home-grown marrows (of which there are none so it would be off to the market) and bunches of fresh carrots are a good idea. But no, they want tins and packets. Doesn't exactly conjure images of thankful farmers praying to the veg gods but hey, it allows me to clear out the cupboard (all in date, of course) and dontate to the cause.

Have a good weekend, all, and I'll be back soon with dates of library visits and other booky stuff.

Sam x

L is for Launch Day

2010-09-22T03:14:00.000-07:00

Following on with my (rather leisurely) A-Z of publishing and book-related posts, I thought it quite timely that L should be for Launch Day.

My next novel, SOMEONE ELSE'S SON, will be released in hardback on 14th October and so launches (oh ok, champagne!) are on my mind. I'm thinking about celebrations...most likely a private room in a swanky London club, champagne cocktails for the couple of hundred gliterati that will have been clamouring for an invite for weeks, an emotional speech from me in my new designer dress thanking publishers, my agent, my mum, my kitten...

OK, so the budget's not quite there but that doesn't mean to say I can't drink some nice champers on the 14th and feel all warm and gooey inside because people will finally be reading this book (I'm quite proud of it, you see). And I'm more of a jeans gal anyway, which set me thinking that an online launch party would be just the ticket.

Will I get the whole world raising a glass to their monitors on 14th October? I doubt it, but if I can gain some new readers, chat with some good friends, connect with writing clubs, book groups and forums, and reach as many book fans as possible, then I will be happy. So next month, expect daily tweets and blogs, exclusive excerpts, signed copies up for grabs, the odd competition or two, interviews and perhaps an 'author at home' video. I'll be lurking around book forums (the Book Club Forum is a fab place!), hopefully coercing a few fellow authors into writing some guest blog posts, stalking literary types on Facebook and generally being a bit of a web-slut. Oh, and I have a couple of library events coming up in October too so will post details about those very soon.

Meantime, feel free to add me on Twitter or Facebook and don't forget to pre-order your hardback or paperback copy of SOMEONE ELSE'S SON!

Sam x

SOMEONE ELSE'S SON Cover

2010-07-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share the amazing cover of my new novel SOMEONE ELSE'S SON. Isn't it fab? Quite different from my other covers but totally screams out (in a very clever way) that it's an emotional thriller and something pretty disturbing has happened. It's published in the UK in hardback on the 14th October and will be released in Australia and New Zealand in December - odd to think of it as a summer read over there when we'll be rugged up with fireside reads here! The UK paperback edition will be in the shops from the 3rd February.

Here's what the Amazon description says:

A tense and powerful emotional thriller that asks: Do we ever really know our children?

There must have been some mistake... TV presenter Carrie Kent can’t believe the voice on the end of the phone. Surely it didn’t just say that her son – her beloved son Max – has been stabbed within his school gates? This sort of thing happens only to the guests on her daily morning chat show. Not to someone like her boy. But when Carrie arrives at the hospital and learns that Max is dead, she is thrown into a nightmare. No one will reveal what really happened and the only witness, a schoolgirl, is refusing to talk. Carrie must enter an unknown world of fear and violence if she wants to find the truth. But can she live with what she discovers?

I've been told by several early readers that it's...ahem...my best book yet (no, not my mum!). I love all my books dearly - rather like my kids and, as an author, it's hard to choose between them - but I always strive to make my current book my best work. Sometimes it's hard and issues need to be resolved (technically known as ripping it up and starting again) and other times everything goes to plan and the book seems to sail from my head straight to the bookshop shelves - via a brilliant and dedicated team at Headline, of course. SOMEONE ELSE'S SON was a sailing moment and I really can't wait for it to hit the shelves. Be sure to tell everyone about it!

You can pre-order either edition of my new novel over at Amazon (and why not order any of my other three thrillers while you're there!). Don't forget to let me know what you think when you've read it.

For me, one of the highlights of being an author is actually getting out there and meeting my readers. I still kind of get a dizzy high from realising that yes, people buy, read and enjoy my novels and I'm excited to have several events coming up in the autumn to promote SOMEONE ELSE'S SON. I'll put up the details when everything's confirmed.

Meantime, the summer holidays roll by in a blur of trips, piles of washing, ferrying kids and keeping up with my writing. I'm lucky to work from home and, while my kids are old enough to be pretty independent, I take my hat off to all the mums who juggle work, childcare and school holidays. It's not an easy feat.

Sam x

K is for Keeping it Together - Guest Post by author Neil Ayres

2010-06-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

Sam has kindly and rather wonderfully let me take up some valuable space on her blog, ostensibly to do a guest post, but in reality to pimp my new book, which is for the present time actually unavailable as a hard copy. It’s a part of an iPhone app, see, which has lots of other stuff on it, all appropriately enough related to the book. There’s the wonderful cover photography by Nicole Heiniger, the fab illustrations by Johanna Basford, a bespoke music track by Rich Watson and a brilliant, overlooked novelette by Miguel Cervantes (he’s the guy what wrote Don Quixote). All this content has been corralled into order by all-round clever chap Russell Quinn.

But I did promise a guest post, and I know Sam has been working intermittently on her alphabet of publishing. It appears we’re on K. Sam was going to go with Kill Your Darlings, but I’m much too weak for that, and prefer to let them stumble around in the limbos of unfinished stories. More appropriate for me is…

Keeping it together

As with many authors, writing is not my day-job. I have a family to feed and a house to keep out of the hands of the re-possessors. The New Goodbye, the novel included in the app of the same name, took me a good few years to write, in and around working full-time in magazine publishing, getting married and becoming a father and running an online zine. Although not calling for a similar amount of intellectual application or soul-searching, producing the app has been as time consuming, and required managing the various strands that comprise the app. And if anything following its release a couple of weeks ago, the demands are even greater. There’s chasing up publicity, trying to arrange a deal with a mutually beneficial book retailer (fingers crossed that one will come off) and producing a music video that will be included in an update of the app next month.

In and around all this, and writing guest blogposts and the like, my own blog, I’ve somewhat neglected my own blog, which I share with Aliya Whiteley, and the project blog set up to promote the app. Needless to say, as for any ‘real’ writing, I’ve managed very little.

In addition to the marketing budgets assigned to her book, a commercially successful writer like Sam will be in the fortunate position of having a publicity team to work on her profile and secure coverage for her in the national and trade press. Lower down the pecking order though, new and mid-list authors are expected to do most of this work themselves. In addition to writing good, commercially viable novels they have to in some way try and maintain a media profile. Most often the way to do this is by social media, and few are lucky enough to have even a handful of media contacts to help them along their way. Even with these contacts, such as I’m in the fortunate position to have, actually getting coverage for a book is by no means a given, and without an interesting angle to a story, untested authors are going to lose out to established names or the current crop of zeitgeist-riding writers. It’s just not enough to have a good book out.

This isn’t necessarily fair, it’s just the way the media, and the trades that rely on them, work. Publishing success is often more about public word of mouth than media coverage, which is often soothing to an artist’s ego but doesn’t necessarily put readers in front of their work or cash in pockets. Having a huge author with a news story very much of the moment won’t necessarily translate into sales. Like my own novel, Hilary Mantel’s ManBooker prize-winner Wolf Hall has recently been released as an iPhone app. The difference is, people are downloading my app but not hers. To me, the reasons are obvious. I have an iPhone-friendly short novel with a batch of interesting, complementary multimedia features created from other artist’s interpretations of my themes. And, perhaps more importantly, it’s the type of book of relevance and interest to the iPhone-owning demographic of young professionals and parents. Oh, and it comes as a free sampler with the full all-singing and dancing edition costing just £1.79.

Mantel’s book is about five times longer than my own, not exactly conducive to a pleasant reading experience on the small iPhone screen. And, forgive me for generalising, but its core readership is likely to be comprised of middle-aged traditionalists unlikely to be keen to surrender their printed books for de rigeur technology.

It’s early days for The New Goodbye. My hope is that the bookshop deal I’m trying to put together comes off and that eventually a publisher picks the book up for print publication. But for now I’m just happy that people are downloading the app and getting to see the great, collaborative work that has been involved in putting it together.

Related links

Download the app here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-new-goodbye/id372159294?mt=8

Official blog: http://thenewgoodbye.blogspot.com

Neil’s blog: http://veggiebox.blogspot.com

Developer: http://russellquinn.com

Illustrator: http://johannabasford.com

Music: http://www.myspace.com/richwatsonthe147s

Photographer: http://nicoleheiniger.com

Documentarian: http://iampingpong.com

Film-makers: http://thisisorder.com

Win a set of DVDs!

2010-05-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

The lovely people at Headline are running a competition for you to win a set of DVDs for your mum! My books are all about family and relationships and tragic things that can blow apart families--the reality of modern-day living that so many people, whatever their background, have to struggle through. So why not show your mum how much you care and have a bash at the competition. Still plenty of time left to enter and good luck! Let me know if you win.

This month sees me in the June edition of Woman & Home magazine again. Perhaps I should have a regular column! The feature is about something that's looming in the next few months in our household - Empty Nest Syndrome. I can hardly believe that my eldest is nearly nineteen and will be moving out this September. Why is no one else round here bothered about this? Two other women also tell their personal tales of what it's like or will be like to have teens fly the nest...something that everyone with kids has to face one day. I just never thought it would happen so quickly. He was a baby a minute ago! (Sorry, Ben.)

And, while I haven't seen a copy, apparently my short story was in the Sunday Express S Magazine last weekend. A quirky little tale about a couple's return trip from their honeymoon. I called it 'Long Haul'.

Finally, I was in WH Smith a little earlier and squealed in delight when I saw Adam Nevill's book Apartment 16 in the charts. Go Adam! He's such a great writer (used to be my editor at Virgin) and this book deserves to do really well. Of course I bought it and can't wait to get stuck in...when I've finished the final proofs of my next one.

Have a good weekend!

Sam x

Another TELL TALE review

2010-04-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

My publicist alerted me to this great review on the Crime Squad website. (Scroll down a bit)

Meanwhile, kids are now all back at school so writing can begin again in earnest - although I still do write in the holidays, I never seem to get quite as much done! And thanks to everyone who's emailed me about TELL TALE. It's so good to receive nice feedback.

And do feel free to add me/follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.

TELL TALE Review

2010-04-07T00:16:00.001-07:00

Just a quickie to share this rather nice review... Sums TELL TALE up very well, I think.

Paperback Publication Day!

2010-03-18T05:09:00.001-07:00

It feels a little like my birthday today but without gaining a year - TELL TALE is out today in paperback and is straight in the Asda paperback charts at number 18! I think I might have to take a little grocery shopping trip later and see the evidence in real life. You'll also be able to find it in the WH Smith chart section as well as the other usual book retailers. Feels a little odd not to include Borders in the list.

If you buy a copy from Amazon, you can read an excerpt now (although for some reason it doesn't include the prologue!) and watch a little video of me trying to describe the story without giving all the plot twists away!

Finally, not long to go now until my double act with the lovely Sophie Hannah, who I had the pleasure of meeting and watching in action a little while ago. Should be a great evening in Birmingham, so if you're around, do come to the event. It's free!

Book of the Month

2010-03-09T01:57:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie to say that TELL TALE has been chosen as Book of the Month over at the brilliant Crime Files website. I've been getting some amazing fan mail from those who have already read it - mostly from the southern hemisphere as it came out at the end of last year downunder.

And a reminder of a review that went up at the excellent Book Club Forum a little while ago...just to give you a taste of the book without giving too much away - something I always find hard to do at talks!

Only 9 days to go!

Count down to TELL TALE publication!

2010-03-04T03:39:00.000-08:00

Two weeks today and the paperback of TELL TALE will be out there in the shops. The best places to buy it will be Asda, WH Smith, Waterstones and Amazon as well as your local indie bookshop. If they don't have it, ask!

To celebrate, Headline's wonderful Crime Files blog have put up a short story I wrote recently called A Place at the Table. It's a little shocker! (haha, I hope!) Why not have a cuppa, have a read, and let me know what you think.

Also, there's a short video clip of me at home talking about TELL TALE over on my website. If you click on books, then the TELL TALE cover, then toggle through the pages, you'll find it. It's such a hard book to describe without giving too much away but I hope it gives you a bit of a taste! I've had great feedback from those who have read it so far...do let me know what you think.

There are quite a few things happening around publication time and one event that I'm really excited about is a talk at Birmingham Library Theatre with Sophie Hannah. I love Sophie's books and met her a little while ago at another talk she was doing. She's very entertaining and I'll try to be, too! We'll be doing readings, talking about our books, and answering audience questions. There'll also be a chance to buy our books and get them signed. Do try to come alone as I'd love to meet some more readers!

Meantime, I've begun work on my new book (next but one after TELL TALE!) I have a title, I have a detailed synopsis, I have a very accurate plan of where each chapter is going, I have character sheets and backgrounds...wow! How unusual. I did plan my previous four novels to a certain extent but thought I'd try something a little different this time. I wanted to see if it had any bearing on the actual time taken to write the book. I suspect it will have as so far, knowing exactly what I'm writing about each day, is making it fly along.

More soon!

Sam xx

Finished!

2010-02-01T08:06:00.001-08:00

So I went to meet with lots of journalists at the Groucho Club last week for a 'sparkling evening' hosted by my lovely publishers Headline (who have a snazzy new website, btw). Well, it all made a rather nice change from my local caff. Anyway, I was under strict instructions from both my She-Devils to keep an eye open for the Rpattz or, at the very least, rub my hands on lots of door handles, not wash them before I got home, and make sure I passed on the hopefully collected - what, skin cells, DNA? - to the She-Devils. How odd.

I came to the conclusion, apart from meeting a very lovely bunch of journos from all kinds of publications - everything from weight loss magazines to the Telegraph to Soap mags to the glossies - that they are all incredibly young. And beautiful. And clever. My publicist Sam Eades (who is also those things) worked tirelessly with the rest of the Headline team to make sure the evening was a success and that the eleven female authors invited were circulated in a dizzy cocktail of champagne and ideas for features and articles. It was fun. As I always say about these nice events, it gets me out the house. It gets me in a dress.

In other news, New Novel is finished. It's printed. It's in the mail. Of course, a novel is never really finished at this stage, but it's now over to my editor to work her magic and make me see things that will no doubt have me believing I've been blindfolded this last year. As ever, I feel a little odd parting with the characters and not messing with their lives on a daily basis. It (title to be revealed soon) was a harrowing book to write yet, as ever, the intention with my novels, apart from hopefully being gripping and entertaining, is that they hold a message that makes my readers think, consider, worry, laugh, and feel grateful for life. Amazon has a blurb up and also says the hardback is available on September 2nd. I'm proud of this one and can't wait to see the cover, which I'll put up here in due course.

Meantime, TELL TALE paperback release day is getting closer. This is good news because, not only do I get to see another book in the shops, but it also means that spring is here as the publication date is March 18th. Of course, the hardback edition has already been available for a couple of months and reader emails tell me that it's being very much enjoyed - all over the world! I was alerted to a nice review in Canada's Globe and Mail recently by a well-respected crime reviewer and also saw it in the Bookseller listed in the key paperbacks for 2010 section with 'top-notch sales potential'. That's fine by me. The wonderful Book Club Forum also has a review up as well as an interview with me about the novel.

So now what? Well, on with the next book! I have had a number of readers email me over the years asking if I can 'write faster'. I will certainly try! The idea is there (several of them queueing up, actually) - and, even if I say so myself - this one's a corker (I shouldn't say that, should I?!). But I really can't wait to get started. A few admin tasks to catch up on and then a week or so planning, research and digging...and then write. Although...I bet I start writing tonight.

Sam x

PS. I seem to have been persuaded to give the whole twitter thing a go. Readers - come find me and see how sensible I am! @samhayes

That Monday Morning Feeling

2010-01-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

I actually quite like it. No, I love it. No doom or gloom or wishing it was Saturday morning again here. (I do love the weekends, too, of course, and just spent a lovely one with my dear Dad, who I don't get to see often enough). But a whole week ahead is like a pile of blank paper. Now that makes it sound as if I have nothing to do, far from it, but I still like the potential of five working days and don't want to waste a minute. Apart from in the hairdresser's at the end of the week. (It's been a while.)

The Bookseller daily email had an interesting story this morning. An independent bookshop in Edinburgh - the aptly named Edinburgh Bookshop - is hosting a speed dating evening in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Apparently, again according to the magazine, the indies didn't fair too badly over the Christmas period. Heartening news yet I wonder how bookshop owners would comment on that individually. Each time I walk past our local indie bookstore I hold my breath in case there's a To Let sign up. But the speed dating event promises to match up like-minded literary types over a glass of wine and a few books. Miss Daisy Frost, sharp-tongued blogger and columnist, asks if there will be 'three kisses for the price of two' at the event. I can't help wondering what the discounts would have to be for that to happen.

While straying around a few blogs at the weekend, I came across another heartening story on Neil Ayres and Aliya Whiteley's blog. How cool is this? Still don't understand Twitter, even though I'm sure I should. (Sorry, Neil. I read what you sent me and, through no fault of yours, I don't get how to do it!)

So on with my book. It's finished (Yay!) apart from the many pages of notes-to-self and insightful agent comments that I need to incorporate. I've already done loads of obessive editing, so feeling pretty good in that respect. Hear that big clock ticking? Deadline countdown.

Finally, been getting some lovely mail from readers far and wide about Tell Tale! (Paperback out in March.) Many many thanks to all of you. I will reply.

Sam xx

December Update

2009-12-17T02:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy time for me recently and continues to be that way. Writing-wise, I'm drawing to a close on novel four. It's a breathless, unforgiving surge to the end and hugely emotional to write. As ever, the characters in the book have become part of my life over the last year and the prospect of leaving them behind (for the time being) is, as ever, strange. It's at times like this I'd quite like to take one or two of them with me and give them another story. But...I already have ideas brewing for my next book and actually can't wait to get started on that next year.

The January edition of Woman & Home magazine is now in the shops and includes me in a rather nice feature on page 62. While I was searching through the contents to find which page I would be on, I didn't immediately notice the little photo of me there among some rather glam women. That's how good the stylist was! Well, he did take four hours to get me ready for the photo shoot. Which took about four minutes! But I'm really very happy with the result and Tell Tale gets a mention, which will hopefully harvest me some new readers.

The Sunday Times Style magazine feature also ran a couple of weekends ago. Typical that it was the one weekend that I didn't buy the newspaper and, when I learnt I was in, all the shops had sold out or sent their copies back! Despite the photoshoot with the Times team, they didn't actually put a pic in with the feature, although there is one on the online version. The piece prompted one comment, I see, with a reader assuming that I must only trust my husband because I go through his receipts. Well, in actual fact, he is quite right. I do go through my husband's receipts. Every month when I do his company accounts. Do I find myself piecing together his movements, what he had for lunch, who he was with? No. Of course not. Because he tells me.

November also saw a nice review of Tell Tale in the Sun. Of course, there were a few jokes from family and friends about me being on page three. I declined that particular photo shoot and opted for the review section instead. Although the lass that day was coincidentally called Sam. The Sun reviewer said Tell Tale was 'a fabulously compelling read'.

Finally, I wanted to mention a writer who I've 'virtually' known for quite some time now. Neil Ayres is not only a lovely, hard-working chap who one day I'm determined to meet in real life, but also damned talented when it comes to putting words together. He's recently released an e-book, which is available for download for absolutely nothing. At this time of year, what more could you want?

His book is a collection of short stories called The New Goodbye and is available here on the Smashwords site for download in many different formats to suit all the gadgety things that we all have these days. The blurb reads:

In this collection of realist short stories, Neil George Ayres details the often overlooked depth of modern relationships. From the self-contained love story of a modern marriage, through to the microcosm of the patrons of a working class public house, all life is here. If you love Raymond Carver or Jon McGregor, you're in safe hands.

I'd thoroughly recommend that you take a look at this collection. I have and Neil's writing sparkles with clarity. The realism and emotion in his words transform chunks of life that we all recognise, reulting in thought-provoking and entertaining tales. It also has a rather classy cover, too. I really wish Neil the great success he deserves.

Finally, if you've emailed me recently and I haven't replied, please do send your message again. Somehow, I managed to lose a huge chunk of my messages yesterday, causing mayhem and many four letter words in my office.

Sam xx

TELL TALE published today!

2009-11-12T06:39:00.001-08:00

It's that time again...TELL TALE is officially published today and I can't tell you how excited I am about this book being released into the wild. Of course, it's the hardback edition so will have more limited availability than the paperback when it comes out next March. I hope to see piles in the bookshops and supermarkets, but for now readers can buy my new book at selected stores and, of course, Amazon. And don't forget the libraries. They will almost certainly have the hardback and soon there will be a large print version available, as with my other novels.

In celebration, I just ran a long way on the treadmill and pumped some iron at the gym, but before I left I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from my amazing editor and all the team at Headline. Haha, I also received a lovely set of paperback proofs to go through over the next week or two, making any little changes and scouring for errors. Plus my head is well and truly immersed in finishing Next Novel - so much so that I've gone scurrying back to the beginning to read/edit/read/edit before I tackle the big finale. Plus, I've had lots of exciting publicity happenings going on recently - a review is due in the Sun next Friday, I believe, and I also have a couple of short stories to write (which I love doing) and hopefully, any minute now, my new website will be launched to mark the publication of TELL TALE. I do hope you like it.

A couple of weeks ago, I had two days of glamour and excitement being photographed for two big publications. Firstly, the Sunday Times came to town - two photographers and a stylist - and between them they made me look rather glam and shifty/suspicious which, if you read the feature in Style Magazine one weekend quite soon (will be more specific when I know the exact date), you'll see why. I'd already been interviewed by a lovely journalist who is writing a feature on me for a new series in Style, and a photo was then needed. I say 'a' photo...they must have shot hundreds as we searched for the perfect spot around town, my stylist flitting around me with her big make-up brush, people stopping and staring at the big lights and rather large lens!

These pictures were taken by my husband when we came back home - they decided to go for a few regular shots, too. Never work with animals - despite my serene look, the cat had his claws dug deeply into my legs!

The day after and I was in London at a studio with the Woman & Home magazine team, who were also lovely and treated me to a day of styling, photography, and lovely food to go with a feature that will appear in the January edition of the magazine, available in the shops at the beginning of December. I had my hair and make-up done (individual eyelashes, can you believe!) and got to choose what to wear from a wardrobe of rather expensive looking garments with the help of a stylist. Again, very glam and it all left me feeling that my usual jeans and T shirt didn't quite cut it! Still, no one sees me as I sit alone in my study tapping out the words.

If you read TELL TALE then do be sure to send me an email and let me know what you think. I love receiving comments from readers and I get emails from all over the world, which certainly makes it all worthwhile. I think I might have to go and put a bottle of something sparkly in the fridge!

Sam xx

Going Public

2009-10-01T06:31:00.001-07:00

It's that time for me again. As every author will know, the run up to a title's publication isn't all about whipping the words into shape and making sure the book has a brilliant cover. So much more goes on behind the scenes, not least in the publicity department.

I've had the pleasure of dealing with some lovely publicists during my time with Headline (I'm trying not to worry that I'm now on my third!) and have recently been swapping ideas and brainstorming pitches with my new champion, whose job it is to get me out there, in front of my readers and potential readers for free. Easy then.

I've recently given a 'big' and very exciting interview, which is soon to be followed up by a photo shoot in London. Already I'm worrying what to wear, will they be able to airbrush out the wrinkles, how will I come across in the feature...although I know I needn't worry as the journalist concerned writes fantastic pieces. It's an unusual angle, not least because I once had a very unusual job.

I have some more pitches to write for potential articles - from women's magazines to specialist publications, some short stories to get written, a new website in the making, and a very exciting double-act talk with a huge name in crime fiction to look foward to next year. And I'm sure there'll be lots more besides. There's an art to going public, getting an author 'out there' and the Headline team are tireless at their job.

For an author, though, there burns the question througout the process: How far should I go? I don't mean this in a selling-yourself-to the devil way, rather how much of an exsposition should publicity become, how deep should the author drill to achieve a successful publicity campaign, and at what price?

If it means the difference between being a bestseller and a talked-about name suddenly thrown into the controversial limelight that is more usual for brattish musicians and actors, should authors cast caution to the wind and expose their soul even at the risk of alienating friends or family? Odd, that to achieve potentially thousands of new 'friends', i.e. readers, the real thing might be shocked into oblivion when they discover their female writer chum was once a man, following a flourishing career as a pole dancer in Budapest. (No, I'm not trying to tell you anything.)

I think the best route is honesty. And, if you can manage it, an interesting but not damning life. As I get older (and wiser, ha!) I feel much more able to use my past to light the way for my future. And in doing that, I think I grow as a writer. As humans, it's inevitable that so many things happen to us - even if we think they don't - and how, if we are meant to learn from them then we will do just that. I am thankful that I have many 'real life' stories to tell.

So bring it on. Let's go public. Tell-Tale is out on November 12th and I want everyone to know about it.

Sam xx

Writing under the influence...

2009-09-24T10:30:00.001-07:00

No, not what you're thinking, although over the years I admit, I have written some pages while under the influence of one or three glasses of wine. And then promptly rewritten it all again the next morning. It's true that loosening up the brain cells can lead to thoughts and words that may not otherwise have hit the screen, and that's fine as long as in the cold light of day those words are whipped into shape. Wine is not a great writing buddy.

So what is? Cigarettes, I admit most shamefully, used to be a source of comfort and inspiration. There's nothing quite like sucking on a Marlboro and pondering the next chapter. I really believe that smoking helped me concentrate (it's proven, isn't it?), which in turn must have made me a better writer. Than what, I now ask? A writer who doesn't have lung cancer? I gave up that disgusting habit a long time ago now and have yet to find a healthy alternative.

Food, sadly, is next in line and nibbling on 'stuff' all day long might help concentration in a weird way, but doesn't do much for my waistline. So I'm strict. Only black coffee, herbal tea, a bit of salad and fruit passes my lips while I'm writing. It all sounds a bit grim, doesn't it?

To offset the effects of such a sedentary job, I occasionally drag myself to the gym. Or I go out on my bike. And I listen to music on my ipod. And I get inspired. And knackered. I dream up all kinds of plots and twists and characters, plus it helps pass the dreadful time that is exercising. And now I've started listening to music when I write, something I don't generally do. Just really quiet in the background. And when I'm stuck I whack up the volume. At the moment I'm playing Amy MacDonald to death. This song in particular. I've been writing the relationship between two troubled teenagers. It's heartbreaking and uplifting, tragic and real. I also have some music on my ipod from my own teenage years, to get me in the mood. I was a huge Pretenders fan. This is 1981. See all those well-behaved kids? I was fifteen at the time and so are the characters whose lives I am currently tearing apart. It's a funny job.

J is for Jealousy

2009-09-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

I realise the title of this post could lead to all kinds of misconceptions about its content, so let me say from the off that in no way do I mean jealousy in a mean-spirited way. What I'm referring to is the awestruck 'I wanna be like that' way - except that didn't begin with J and neither does envy (nothing much does in publishing, actually, hence the absolute age it's taken me to post about J). Secondly, it's about what I'm awstruck about, rather than the other way around. I doubt very much that anyone wants to be exactly like me right now as I sit in track pants and T shirt, with rather bad hair, my fingers sore from typing manically all day, wondering what I can rustle for dinner after already having rustled last night.

It was a little while ago now, when I was at the wonderful Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge taking part in their annual 'Bodies in the Bookshop' event that I was chatting to a couple of other authors about what 'J' could be in my series. Jealousy was mentioned, amid rather loud laughter and, as I'd already considered it, I thought I'd write a few words on it.

My jealousy began a long time ago, when I first wanted to be a writer. It started about age ten and went on for nearly three decades. It's still going strong. I suppose that jealousy could also be described as the burning desire to write, to not be left out of the amazing party that is publication. I admit, I was envious beyond belief when a thirteen year old girl was interviewed on Nationwide by Frank Bough. She'd written a novel and it was going to be published. At thirteen! I can't tell you how much I wanted that to happen to me. I can't tell you how green with envy I was. So much so that I bought a new notepad from the corner shop and started scribbling immediately. I was a girl obsessed and even wrote to Penguin to ask what I had to do to get my book published.

A rumour spread around my school that the 'new kid' had written a novel. My ears pricked up and my hackles raised. I was the one who was going to be a writer. My stories were the ones that got read out in class. I eyed this girl very suspiciously for a long time, not enjoying the competition. She was far more popular than me, far more likely to get published, I believed. The jealousy simmered. I never did find out what she'd written, but I know now that her career couldn't be further away from being a writer.

As an adult, but before I was published, I got to know a few people in the business, went to a few literary events, joined clubs and groups, met some authors, some editors from independent presses, other aspriring writers...and, of course, I was 'jealous' - in the awestruck way. They were all doing what I wanted to do - making books one way or another. I believe that my awe/jealousy took me closer to my goal. I truly believe that mixing with the right people, by surrounding myself with like-minded people, listening to their experiences and learning from their mistakes I was able to move, step by step, closer to being published.

Now, writing my seventh novel, with my third book for Headline soon to be released, I'm still awestruck by other authors. Just how many books can James Patterson write in a year? Can Anita Shreve's prose become any more beautiful or Ian McEwan's future words top those of 'On Chesil Beach'? When it comes to all books and authors that I'm 'jealous' of, well the list would be far too long. But it's certainly true that I, and I'm sure many authors will think it if not admit it, suffer from a little of the green-eyed desire monster when it comes to other people's writing. It might just be an occasional sentence. It might be an entire novel. It might be the author themselves - their glam lifestyle, their looks, their fame - but I believe that without jeal...desire, we wouldn't improve as writers at all. It's a bit of healthy competition.

So the upshot of this little musing is that I think I'm quite an ambitious person. Having become a published author, I'm now 'jealous' of those who have sold rights in thirty languages, have conquered the States, have sold film or television rights. There's plenty of jealousy left in me to achieve all this, I hope...plenty of awe to sit back, whistle through my teeth that one day I might sell this many books.

A little bit of jealousy never hurt anyone. Did it?

TELL TALE update

2009-09-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have several friends who are married to builders. They sometimes grumble that DIY jobs don't get done around their homes. Is it like this with writers and blogs, I'm wondering now, hands up in guilt as mine has languished somewhat untouched for the summer months? I spend so much of my time writing words - made up words - that when it comes to writing about real life it suddenly seems very daunting. But this made me think. Real life. That IS what I write about - hence the newly updated title of this blog. A little slogan. Very soon, my website will be transformed (again) and Real Life Fiction incorporated. Actually, it reminds me very much - and I hope she won't mind - of the title of my niece's beautiful album Real Life Computer Game. I am very honoured to have this very talented lady and her musician boyfriend staying with us at present so the house is full of even more music than usual.

During the last few months, I have finished writing TELL TALE. The blurb on the back reads:

The chilling new international bestseller from Sam Hayes is a story of three women bound together by a shocking secret...

WHAT DO YOU DO?

A woman stands on a bridge, the water rushing below. In a few seconds she will jump, plunging more than two hundred feet to her death. Who is she? And why is she desperate to take her own life?

WHEN THERE'S NO WAY OUT...

Nina Kennedy, a wife and mother, is afraid. A man is following her, threatening her family, toying with her sanity. What does he want? And how long will it be before he strikes?

AND NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE?

Eight-year-old Ava sits waiting for her daddy. But, like the others in the children’s home, she knows her father will never come. The home is a place of whispers and shadows. But no one dare tell the truth. Until now...

I loved writing this novel. The idea came to me from several corners. I was deeply moved by the alleged abuse that went on at the Haut de la Garenne children's home in Jersey, yet I was also fascinated by the building itself and the secrets it contained. Having been a school, a youth hostel and a children's home it would have absorbed decades of human emotion. Hopefully, amongst all the alleged tragedy and abuse that went on, the building saw happier times and was, for some, a respite from their troubled lives.

In TELL TALE, Roecliffe Hall is a Victorian Gothic mansion built initially as a family home in Yorkshire. It's a magnificent piece of architecture, typical of its period with huge ornate fireplaces, stone mullion windows, follies and towers and, of course, many Pugin-esque arches. In modern times, Roecliffe is taken over by the local council and turned in to a children's home. Its most endearing features are stripped out or covered with linoleum and paint. The huge rooms are suddenly filled with metal beds rather than oak four-posters and the many twisting, ever-changing corridors are hiding place for the scared children that inhabit the building during the nineteen-eighties.

The second source of inspiration for TELL TALE was the internet and all the associated friend-making that goes on among young people. It's no secret that modern-day paedophiles have a much easier time of stalking and harvesting their prey. Social networking sites are not infallible and are just as much a hunting ground nowadays as were the corridors of Roecliffe Hall two and a half decades ago. I wanted to bring the two scenarios together, take a look at the differences and, more shockingly, the similarities.

I won't give too much away but do hope you decide to buy or pre-order a copy because I'm very proud of this book. It's a frightening look at a modern day family, how seemingly perfect lives can so very easily become nightmares and - a favourite of mine - how secrets from the past always catch up with the present. The hardback is out in the UK in November, and the trade paperback edition will be released in Australia at the same time.

I also love the cover for this novel (see above). My publishers worked very hard on getting it just right and I think they've done a cracking job. The little waif on the front reminds me so much of one of the characters, it brought a tear to my eye. Anyway, I'll give more updates and info nearer release date.

Meantime, I've been working away on my next book. It's as yet without a title but I'm a good half way through writing this one and I'm loving the characters! It's always hard in the long stretch of summer holidays to devote quite as much time to writing each day as I'd like, but then nothing beats spending time with the kids. I say kids in the loosest possible way as my eldest turned eighteen last week with the others not too far behind. Scary indeed, but (even if I say so myself!) our son is a credit to us and, as a token of my huge respect and love for him, TELL TALE is dedicated to him.

Finally, (and as ever) I'm going to try to be a little bit better on the net. So many authors are committed to updating their blogs and Facebook thingies that I really think I should be one of them. So if you want to add me on Myspace or Facebook, I'd love to be your friend. I have been known to add writerly (or not!) thoughts to these pages as well as rather random musings when the book words won't flow.

I hope to hear from lots of readers...see you on the dark side.

Sam xx

I is for Inspiration

2009-05-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Quite an appropriate time for me to blog about this. I feel oddly drained of it this week. Inspiration, that is. There are times, while writing, when the words fly from my fingertips and, thankfully, fewer times when they don't. This week is a week when they don't, it seems.

I've tried all the usual things, of course. Chocolate. Extra coffee. Going for a walk. Going to the gym (all I got there was another knee injury). Shopping, except I'm not a great shopper. Research. Trash TV. Reading. Pottering in the garden. Hell, even all my ironing is up to date.

So what is it that inspires writers? Do we have an on/off switch? If so, then I must have slept funny on mine. It's somehow been (temporarily) turned off.

I have a suspicion it could be to do with planning. I do plan my novels. I think long and hard about them before I write. Plot, sub-plots, characters, themes. I make charts and graphs and breakdowns (lest I have one) and have copious notes and bookmarks to relevant information. But what happens, I think, is that sometimes I get just too inspired. I hear this...and read about that...and notice something else and oh, it all needs to go in my plan because it would be just perfect... Does planning stifle inspiration? Does a pre-set format make a writer blind to other influences? Writing a novel is an organic process. Throwing a load of twigs and leaves into a bin does not make compost.

Or perhaps writing-by-the-seat-of-your-pants is the way to inspiration eternal. I guess, if I'm honest, I'm an in-between gal. I plan in detail. Then I chuck half of it away as I go along. So maybe that's the problem? I think I've got a complete plan, when actually I haven't. A bit like starting a bungee jump with a rope, then realising you don't have anything at all tying you to the bridge.

I heard a wonderful (actually it was grim) story about three weeks ago. It stirred me so much I was desperate to incorporate it into New Novel. I thought I had worked it in successfully. But in doing so, it's pretty much screwed up the rest of New Novel and what I'm left with is Different Novel, which, if I'm honest isn't as good as New Novel was going to be. So. Out with it. It will be in another book, for sure, but had no place in this one. It's left me a bit high and dry, however, because I'd invested so much in this new direction that I kinda, well, lost the plot. The original one that is.

So where does this whole inspiration thing come from? Probably the question I get asked the most, either at talks or when just chatting about my work, is where do I get my ideas from? In truth (and no one likes this) I have absolutely no clue. It's just life, isn't it? Writing emotional thrillers is so heavily based in the real world, all about what happens or somehow touches on each of our lives at some time or other, that by just picking up a newspaper there are probably half a dozen potential novels right there. Of course, there are characters to weave in, motives and themes, and sub-plots that help pull everything along at a thrilling pace, to a satisfying yet unexpected conclusion. Easy, then.

I guess, to distill, my ideas stem from bitesize snippets that cause big thought. Like the friend whose child went missing. Or the woman I knew who had to decide whether to have her frozen embryos destroyed. Or the marriage with a huge age gap, or the bond between a deaf child and her mother...Little glimpses of reality taken one step further.

I can't help asking 'What if...' about certain scenarios. Of course, What if it happened to me is a pretty good place to start and, often, painful to answer. But carry on with that line of questioning...what if that character did this, or what if that person wasn't really who they said they were, and soon a story will start to take shape. It may be that it's the wrong one, but being inspired is a skill to be learned, I reckon. The more you do it, the better you get. And the skill of inspiration, which quickly gives way to imagination, lies in observation and perception. Being open to...well...ideas. Noticing them. Harvesting them. Spotting what is useful to you. Eyes wide open.

New Novel is based around knife crime, but I couldn't just write a story about a stabbing. That would be a newspaper report. Other themes have waded in to make a story, about real lives, relationships, how flawed we are as husbands, wives, parents...how we don't notice things until it's too late...until we're living through what we feared most. The characters in this one are taking over. The structure is a little different, too, yet still very readable I hope. But there are some surprises in store for me, I just know (there have to be!). There is still some inspiration to be gained. I just wish I knew when and where I could find it. Contracts with publishers don't generally contain a clause for late delivery based on lack of inspiration. They kind of assume you will have lots of that.

Right, I'm off to hoe between the lettuces. I reckon that's where I'll find some much-needed oomph. That or a load of slugs. Writers: Where do you find yours?

Unspoken Downunder

2009-05-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

A few photos from my Australia trip. I tried really hard not to dash into every bookstore we passed, but I just couldn't help it. After travelling twelve thousand miles, I really wanted to see it on the shelves. And it wasn't upside-down.

Youngest She-Devil found her favourite author's book - Chris d'Lacey's Fire Star.

Eldest son, who blanked the camera for the entire holiday, getting stuck in to Unspoken.

Unspoken on Headline in Sydney's reception shelves - with another of Chris's dragon books, Icefire, sitting above.

H is for Home

2009-04-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

...which is where I am again after a fabulous month in Australia - and also, more importantly, where I work. It's an odd thing, this 'working from home' lark and therefore, I thought, worthy of a (rather late) post in my A-Z.

It often comes up in conversation: 'Oh, I work from home.' Perhaps pertaining to a delivery... 'No problem, I'll be at home...' or maybe a tradesman wanting access... 'That's OK, I'll be at home working.' No one believes that you actually do any WORK from home. Several times I've had the response, 'Ah, you're a housewife then.' Now, nothing against housewifery - I was a full-time mum and house-looker-afterer for many years (and hell, no one else does the ironing around here) - but many think (mostly men, I must add) that working from home is a fancy way of saying you're either unemployed or a mother going out of her mind with finger-painting-induced boredom. To be honest, sometimes I wouldn't mind a bit of finger-painting. This whole working from home thing isn't as easy as it sounds. It's really tough, truth be known.

I get quite envious when I hear friends talking about the 'water cooler gossip'. The most exciting thing that happens to me when I leave my desk for a cuppa is deciding if the weather's fine enough to hang out the washing. As for gossip, I find myself getting all exited if the postman rings the bell for me to sign for a parcel. We often exchange a juicy word or two about the weather. Of course, I do saunter down to the market or the local shop to pick up something nice for dinner and may well meet a neighbour or friend for a brief chat. But - and this was something I never fully anticipated pre-full-time writing - it's a bloody LONELY business. At Home. Alone. Working.

Imagine. The kids have gone off to school, the kitchen's cleared, the beds are made, the washing's flapping in the fresh breeze, and...then there's the sofa (or the bed!) and eight hours of daytime TV beckoning. Or marathon shopping trips to be made. Or oodles of books to catch up on. Or friends to visit (those that also work from home, of course). All these things have to be fought against. Don't they? It's funny, so many people ask me 'Do you write every day? Really? What, like a proper job you mean?' Maybe it's just me, but I get the impression they're wondering why the hell, because I can, don't I have a jolly good lie in, or hit the shops, or stay in my PJs eating cake all day.

Two things drive me: 1) I really really love writing books. 2) Bills need paying.

But, just because I have this whole discipline thing cracked, just because I don't need pills to stop me watching Jeremy Kyle (actually, I have been watching his show for research purposes, but that's another story) doesn't mean that every day is easy. If I'm stuck on a certain scene then often blitzing the garden with the shears helps get things flowing again. Or meeting up with a friend or an hour in the gym is just what's needed to get through the final stage of a long bout of editing.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to work from home. I have a nice study (if it was tidier I'd put up a photo!) and a pleasant rooftop view. I'm doing what I love and, even if there are plumbers banging away beneath me as I type, even though I know that any minute now someone will phone up 'just for a chat' because I'm not really busy, am I? ...even though I don't have a boss looming over me so I have to quickly nuke the Facebook window on my computer, I wouldn't have it any other way. A writer's place is in the home. Besides, I like being alone.

Finally, on a completely different note, I'm doing a talk at Coalville Library on May 7th. The last one planned got cancelled because the library alarm was going off and they couldn't stop it! I'll be talking between 3 and 4pm about my life as a writer, my novels, and reading a couple of chapters. After that, you can fire questions at me as long as they're not too tricky. And I'll sign your books. So please come along if you're around Leicestershire. The more the merrier. I love meeting readers.

Sam x

Top 10

2009-02-27T01:01:00.001-08:00

Ok... No. 10 in Asda, not the Sunday Times. But still. I'm *very* happy.

Inside Soap

2009-02-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

Inside Soap Magazine is where I am, not Love It! as previously reported.

It's out now, apparently, with Unspoken featured in their reviews. See you at the newsagent's!

No. 18...

2009-02-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

...on the Asda chart. Sandwiched between the She-Devils' favourites.

Photos of UNSPOKEN released into the wild to follow, once I can figure out how to get them off my phone. Plus, a tale of company policy. Don't you hate company policy?

UPDATE: It's now at 19. Not that I'm obsessively checking or anything.

UNSPOKEN published today!

2009-02-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Publication day to me! And, of course, to the rest of the team who worked so hard to get UNSPOKEN out there...thanks to my wonderful editor and agent, and the fab team at Headline.

There have been reports...sightings. I hear there is a stack on a table in WH Smith at Victoria Station. And someone I don't even know told my granny that there was a write-up in the Coventry Evening Telegraph. There should be a few of these local features coming out round about now. Apparently Unspoken has been chosen as 'Love It!' magazine's book of the week. I have yet to find out which week, but needless to say I will be checking the news stands. There are some other publicity bits going on in the next few weeks and, as soon as things are confirmed, I'll shout out. And if anyone happens to see Unspoken in the shops or charts and just happens to have a camera in their pocket, all snaps greatly received!

You should also now be able to find Unspoken in the 3 for 2 deals in Waterstone's and Borders, as well as WH Smith high street and travel branches (I think in the charts section). And also, good old Asda will be stocking it - so no excuses not to dash out and buy one. Of course, you can order from Amazon if you prefer.

I think I'll be buzzing around the shops later with my camera, stalking unsuspecting browsers, telepathically guiding them towards my book. In fact, when Blood Ties was on the shelves in Asda, I just 'happened' to be checking out the book displays with half an eye on what people were buying. One woman picked up Blood Ties, then reached for another. 'Oh no no no,' I said, pointing to Blood Ties. 'That's the book you want.' She looked a little shocked that I'd spoken to her, annoyed at the interruption. 'Have you read it?' she asked. 'Ah,' I said. 'I wrote it.'

Funny, but she didn't seem to believe me. Do the book-buying public have pre-conceived ideas about what an author should look like? If so, then I think I was about as far off the mark as I could have got. It was an early dash out for supplies on a Sunday morning. I was dressed, er, sloppily. No make-up. You know, that just-got-up look. A basket of heavy groceries hanging off my arm. Youngest She-Devil was bored and moaning at my side. I no doubt looked a bit weary from the night before (well, it was a Saturday). Actually, to my mind, I was sporting a 'classic author' look. We work hard to achieve that (slightly) dishevelled appearance.

Which brings me on to what (and it will be up here in the next day or two) my next blog will be about. Might seem a bit odd and not very publishing-ish, but H is for Home is what I will be harping on about next. Well, if you're a writer, it's where you spend ninety percent of your time. But there are other issues about home and writing. Bet you just can't wait to find out, eh?

I have, at last, updated my website. It's still evolving to be honest, and I know there are some tweaks to be made, but I wanted something up there in time for Unspoken's release. The next thing to go up will be the book group discussion points for Unspoken. But it's a start. If it looks 'odd' on your computer for whatever reason, then can you let me know? I did the site myself (it's a control thing!) and I have this awful feeling it may look a bit different in various browsers and on other monitors.

Meantime, I have pretty much finished some kind of plan for Next Novel, as it's known. And I have started writing because it was too cruel not to. OK, so the plan's not entirely finished, but give me ten thousand words or so and I'll have a better idea. But I'm loving my characters. They are very individual and have stepped into their roles perfectly. One or two are going to be very good friends, I feel sure. After I've given them a really hard time. It's a wonder I'd not noticed them before.

S. x

The plot thickens...

2009-02-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

So I have: A female television presenter. A stabbing. A blind man. An errant son. A couple of baddies. Oh, and a woman who likes women. (Well, I think she does.)

What do I do with that lot?

Actually, I know exactly what I'm going to do with them. It's going to be great. Trust me.

And I am *really* sick of the snow.

Snow quiet

2009-02-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

It's all so quiet, isn't it, with this snow business? It rather suits the between novels mode that has struck me this week. Soft and fluffy outside my window; soft and fluffy in my head. I don't like not being 'in' a novel. I'm beginning to get to know my new characters, but they're not like the old ones yet; the ones I sent off to my editor recently. I knew them really well. I'd spent many months with them. These new people are...well...new. Give me a few weeks, and I'll be begging for them not to leave either. But for now, they haven't done anything to prove themselves to me; to show me what they're made of. That only comes when the writing begins. And how I long for that!

But I have to be good. I have to plan. I have to take this time to work it all out. Once the framework's in place, I'll let loose my players. I give myself until about three o'clock this afternoon before words hit the page. I don't like not writing!

G is for Genre

2009-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

For those who haven't died of boredom, or migrated to more regularly updated blogs, I thought I'd jot down something about genre. The G-word. That's easy then, because that just means type or class or style or content. No problem. Or so I once thought. (Actually, I didn't think. That was my problem.)

Genre, I'd say, was the single biggest stumbling block on my path to publication. Oh, that and actually having the staying power to complete a novel, deciding what to write about, er...not writing drivel, um...getting an agent...yadda yadda...

When I was seven or eight, I wrote a story about a rabbit. And her husband rabbit. Really, it was a tale about me and the boy I was sweet on in my class. I showed it to him and he got it. He said 'I'm that rabbit, and you're the girl rabbit.' I blushed. No one else in the class understood. They thought it was stupid and laughed. True, it was rather an exclusive book. (Six stapled-together pages and only one copy ever printed.) It wasn't easy to identify with. It wasn't strictly romance, and neither was there an adventure. It didn't have pictures and there wasn't much of a story. Genre wasn't even a twinkle in my eye back then.

Going on ten - a little more jaded (think the rabbit had dumped me by then) - and I got into horror stories. I didn't know I was writing horror, but I always used to wait until everyone had gone out of the house before I began. I would scare myself witless with tales of ghosts and zombie children and haunted houses that swallowed people up... You get the picture. At least I was experimenting with a real genre, even though I hadn't yet got a clue about such things. I went through a boarding school phase, inspired by Enid, of course. Then there were the fantasy epics, quite a bit more romance, some science fiction and quite a large number of pages that had absolutely no genre whatsoever. I think I was trying to be literary.

So while I was experimenting with genre, I didn't actually know it. Didn't realise how important it is to be successful. And I didn't realise either, the subtlety of sub-genres or that genres suffer from trends and popularity - or lack of - just like any other product.

Has anyone ever asked you what your book's about? Isn't that the most annoying question ever? Well, it was for me. Because I couldn' answer. Not easily, anyway. 'Oh, it's...um...well, there's this girl in it and...well, something happens and...'

Yes, but what is it?

All anyone wants to hear (initially) - especially those in the business - is what IS it? A romance. Horror. A thriller. Crime. Women's fiction. Young adult. Science fiction. Historical. If you can answer that, then really, nuff said. To begin with, at least. From the moment you approach an agent or editor, their minds are fast-tracking to how/where they can place the novel. How they can categorise it. For that, it needs a label.

Imagine if, overnight, every supermarket manager decided to mix up and randomise ALL the products on ALL the shelves in the shop. Worse - they peeled off all the labels too. So you have ten minutes to grab something for dinner on the way home before you fetch the kids... Supermarket sweep takes on a whole new meaning. Your spaghetti bolognese may well be made with custard.

What if bookshops did the same? And I completely agree with everyone who's now shouting out: But what amazing literary discoveries we would all make! (Custard bolognese). Yes, but also imagine the confusion, the let down, the sales that would be lost when a reader desperate for the next thriller in a series could only find...a kids' picture book, a romance. You go in for salmon and come away with frozen lamb chops. Yuk. Or maybe a better analogy is what if Whiskas cat food started making sandwich fillers. In pink foil sachets. For humans. It's all about expectation. Wasn't there green ketchup once?

Anyway, enough of the food analogy. Genre is important. Books are products, after all. They need to be created with selling in mind. (Yes, of course killer story, amazing characters are important too etc).

Most readers (I realise there are exceptions) want a book to do what it says on the tin. In the correct section of the bookshop. With a cover that shows what lies inside. And all this is important for the author too. It's not just so that CEOs of publishing houses can stack up figures. With some exceptions, most authors want to sell as many books as they can. Right from the start of their careers, they'll be faced with genre. Approaching the right agent (no point sending a YA novel to an agent that deals solely with crime thrillers), the agent sending out the typescript to appropriate editors, the editors balancing their lists/positioning titles and genres in the market place, publicity and marketing strategies - all of these these things are based on genre. What works for one type of novel, may not necessarily work for another.

In the commercial publising business, genre is so important. Decisions are made based upon it. An author needs to be true to their genre - and maybe will have more than one genre - think pseudonyms. I'm constantly excited by writing what I write. Emotional and psychological thrillers. For the moment, I can't imagine writing anything else. I have a ton of ideas stacked up. It feels right. While authors don't want to bore readers with one novel after another that are so similar in content only the cover art makes them unique, we do like to be consistent. It's all about fitting in.

Odd, given that most authors strive to break right out.

From Russia

2009-01-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie to show off the Russian cover of Blood Ties. I totally love it! Quite different to the other BT covers, but very classy and mysterious. Almost a little Salvador Dali with that clock and those errant chairs. Looking forward to seeing what they do with Unspoken, recently sold to Phantom Press. I did a babelfish translation on the title and it gave me: My Strange Daughter.

Tell-Tale

2009-01-07T04:39:00.000-08:00

Seeing as it's up on Amazon, I guess it's OK to shout out about my new book. It's called TELL-TALE and the hardback is out this September. I don't have a release date for the paperback yet, but assume it will be early next year. It's a psychological thriller about a woman living under the witness protection scheme, a paedophile ring operating from a children's home during the 1980s, and it opens with a suicide. It's about the consequences of telling tales, that it doesn't always pay to tell the truth. I'm proud of this one. I haven't seen a cover yet, but have a feeling Headline will do a fine job.

Meantime, the paperback of UNSPOKEN is soon to hit the shelves. My publicist is working hard to make sure everyone knows about its release on 19th February. I love this book and have been getting some very nice emails from Australia where it's been out for several months already. It should be widely available (supermarkets, high street stores etc) but can also be pre-ordered from Amazon. And don't forget to let me know what you think when you've read it. It's a real thrill to hear from readers.

Finally, I'll soon be posting the next in my publishing A-Z series. Thought I'd talk about genre - unless anyone has any better 'G' ideas. Drop me a line.

Sam xx

Must try harder

2009-01-05T01:56:00.000-08:00

Not doing so good on the resolutions. I've already been in hospital having X-rays for a broken knee cap. I can't walk very well. Therefore I can't do anything with my poor neglected garden. It hurts to sit for long periods, so writing is tough. I could lie down and watch a movie, but of course I fall asleep.

Still, at least I spoke my mind when I was skittled onto concrete by a thug who clearly took the laser game too seriously.

Anyone else flunked out on the self-imposed regimes that January brings?

Great Joy

2009-01-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

You gotta love it, Christmas. New Year.

Haven't you?

We got nine months in the clear, folks. No more tinsel. No more presents. No unusual diet.

I'm basking in this Great Joy.

Resolutions for 2009: (In no particular order)

* Continue running (without breaking my leg again would be nice).
* Write two novels.
* Sell lots of books.
* Keep in touch - with what/whom remains to be seen.
* To grow better vegetables this year as 2008 was, if I'm honest, a bit of a let down produce-wise.
* Speak my mind.
* Not fall asleep in movies.

Pretty good, huh? And there are ways you can help me. Please buy a novel (preferably mine), or send me an email. How about both?

What are your resolutions?

Have a happy, lucky, and healthy 2009!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T04:45:00.000-08:00

May merriment, Christmas cheer, family, gifts, twinkling lights, log fires, mince pies and a glass of something heart-warming be yours!

Merry Christmas everyone! And thank-you to everyone who has been following my blog, published my books, and most of all... a huge thank-you to my much-valued readers.

Right, I'm off to stuff the turkey. See you next year.

Sam xxx

F is for Foreign Rights

2008-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

I suppose this topic is self-explanatory, really. But post UK sale of a novel (or wherever your home territory may be) and whatever rights have been snapped up in that initial high six-figure deal, there's always room for a bit more wheeling and dealing with the foreign rights. And then there are audio and large print rights, book clubs, e-books (I love my Sony e-reader) and of course, the film option can be sold. Lots of times, actually, if it doesn't go into production.

I haven't done too badly on the forein rights deals so far. There have been a few sales - not least to Germany, a huge market, who are right behind promoting my work. I haven't got a clue what's written between the pages of BLUTSKINDER (Blood Ties) but it sold well, and I've now signed another two book deal with my German publishers, who want to 'build me'.

Also, my book's being translated into Russian and the Slovak edition is out sometime soon. I am Sam Hayesova on the cover. Most odd. Blood Ties is also an unabridged audio book and there's a large print version too. My agent has had interest from other countries and they all work hard, agents and sub-agents, constantly letting editors know what books they have to sell.

A foreign rights sale means more food can be bought by the author, as well as having a far wider audience. I'm both thrilled and curious about someone in a town I've never heard of in remote Russia reading my words in their language.

It never ceases to amaze me when I read that an author has 'sold in over thirty-six languages' or whatever. I wasn't even sure there were that many! It would be a full time job just keeping up with the different covers. I hope to be in that position someday myself. But if I'm honest, and I'm sure most authors will agree, the territory to bag is the USA. It's big and they sell a lot of books. And they have lots of film companies. I was quite surprised to find out not so long ago that Martina Cole only fairly recently cracked the States. Why? She's huge here. And I'm also occasionally surprised to read about authors that I wouldn't have thought would do well out there but have.

And once you have a foreign deal? Well, then come the contracts. Thankfully, that's what agents are for (partly) and mine does a fine job of putting yellow sticky notes in all the right places after she's suffered all the eye-strain of reading them. And finally, after what seems like months...no, years...(it usually is months and years) you might actually see a foreign edition of your book.

Brief Intermission

2008-11-26T02:35:00.001-08:00

It's been a little longer than I'd hoped before my next post in my A-Z. This is due to that thing called writing a novel - see E and D. But I'll put aside some time in the next few days to add my next post, which will be about foreign rights.

S. xx

It turns out...

2008-11-08T00:44:00.000-08:00

...that I'm allergic to red wine. Not white. Red.

My favourite colour.

And chocolate too. Really.

What, I am asking myself, is left in life?

E is for Editing

2008-11-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

There's a Regina Spektor song called 'Edit'. She sings: You can write but you can't edit. Now I dearly love all Regina's music, but she's not going to get very far with an attitude like that, is she? Editing is up there with writing the book in the first place and, of course, actually having a story to tell. It is, in other words, Very Important.

I can only speak for myself when describing how to do it. Editing, like writing, is a personal business. Every writer has their own way, I guess. But ultimately the end result is the same. Or at least should be. Editing makes a book the very best it can be. It hones and polishes, cuts out the crap, does away with all those crazy notions that the writer once thought were clever. It loses all those wordy, overwrought sentences. It banishes whole scenes - even entire characters/sub-plots/threads - to the recycle bin. Editing is a breath of freh air after all those sweaty months of hammering out the first draft. And not editing your work is akin to buying a new gown and turning up at the ball without make-up or brushing your hair. Eeek!

I've very, very nearly finished the first draft of my new novel. When I write, the first thing I do each day is read what I wrote the day before. I spend some time making alterations, usually nothing major. I don't get too hung up on minute details. But anything glaring and I'll whip it into shape there and then. Then I get on with my day's writing, knowing that before long I'll be revisiting the text many times anyway. The thing is, as I approach the end, I'm desperate to go back to the beginning. Writing a novel (especially a 120k word novel) is a very fluid process. Of course I start out with strong ideas and a solid plot, but things have a habit of changing along the way. Therefore, earlier writing needs altering to fit in with new ideas/strands/characters so it all hangs together. Or I might feel that the overall balance of the novel is wrong - not enough action early on... Or perhaps the tone changes or a character has had to acquire a new trait to make some plot aspect convincing.

When I'm writing, I have several other files open for notes. I have timelines and character charts and a chapter by chapter summary that I fill in as I go along. But I also have a 'points to change' file, which is an enormous help when it comes to editing. My memory isn't so good and I'd find it impossible to recall everything that I've decided needs altering. When I turn back to the first page ready to edit, the first thing I do is go through these notes and make my suggested changes. By this time, I might not agree with some of the earlier ones, but they act as good memory-joggers to make sure an idea is watertight.

After I've worked through the list, which can take some time, I'll go back to the beginning once again and start reading through. This, for me, is quite a slow process. No dashing through the novel in eight hours. It could take as many weeks. I edit (I do all my work straight onto the computer. My handwriting is both slow and illegible) as I read, making tiny changes (spelling etc) to striking out whole pages or, sometimes, entire chapters. For me, the first draft is very much just 'getting it down'. I'd be pretty mortified if anyone read it at this stage. I also make notes to myself within the text as I go along, in another colour, if I get stuck on something. Coming back a few days later with a fresh eye is often the key to fixing a problem.

Editing isn't just making the words hang together right and sound pretty or slick or enticing when being read. Editing is about sticking to your guns, making certain that if a character is meant to be angry throughout, they don't suddenly go around hugging trees for no apparent reason. Editing tightens themes, carries sub-plots, and most importantly, makes the writing convincing. It does away with sloppy writing, wild thoughts and notions that have no place or add no value to the story. It makes the story true to itself.

When I get to the end of the book, with a bunch of fresh notes, I go right back to the beginning and do it all again. Then again. And again. And probably again and again.

At some point during the 'again and agains' above, my agent will get to see the typescript. I will hold my breath until she gets back to me and, guess what? She will have lots of good ideas for editing. We will discuss these, probably think of some new ideas together, and then I'll incorporate these too. As I'm writing in the new ideas, they are first draft writing and, in turn, will need to be edited. It is a never ending process, but a line does have to be drawn at some point. That's when we'll send the novel to my editor a Headline.

Every day I think of how fortunate I am to have such a brilliant agent and editor. And I'm not just saying that for the hell of it. New authors are hardly in a position to pick and choose these two key characters when starting their careers, so ending up working with people who are on the same level, who listen to my ideas, add their own thoughts in a way that's neither bombastic or flimsy, who have the very same intentions at heart as me - to put the very best books out there - is surely a good thing.

Anyway, this is when my editor gets her red pen out and adds her mark. It's physical. It's on paper. It's in her handwriting and sometimes entire pages get struck out. Sometimes I think: How can she not like that? Sometimes, to coin a phrase, she completely slaughters my darlings, even though I've already spent weeks trying to do the same myself. And sometimes she adds comments about the bits she loves, about how things hang together in the way we've discussed. Sometimes she adds just a word or two that is so insightful it makes me wonder what I've been doing these last few weeks - why didn't I see that myself? Having an editor is like seeing the novel with a new pair of eyes; a fresh brain. She edits from the eyes of the reader, the booksellers, the reviewers, the sales team, marketing and publicity, but most of all she edits for me. Because she understands totally what I'm trying to achieve and, if she doesn't think it's quite there, she'll show me how and why and where. Just how she does this is is a complete mystery to me. And also, how she does this so quickly, so accuarately and without getting in a muddle. It's easy to forget that I'm not her only author. She has lots of other books all at various stages of production. I've seen them, stacked up in her office and it's daunting to say the least. Let's all toast good editors.

I thought it might be interesting to show a page of UNSPOKEN after it's been beneath my editor's pen. I just randomly plucked out a page (making sure it didn't have any spoilers!)

When she sends the typescript back to me, she also sends a letter detailing all the ideas we've discussed. Then, with a big pot of tea, I sit down at my computer and I...edit. This will probably take me a couple of weeks. It's a very big pot of tea.

Then back it goes to my editor - of course keeping my agent up to speed and asking for her very valued advice. Sometimes I don't agree with suggested changes. Sometimes my editor agrees with my point of view and sometimes she doesn't. I've never 'argued' about changes - thankfully because we all seem to be on the same wavelength in our editorial triangle - but sometimes I've not been keen to budge. Somehow we all shift into each others' gears. Somehow my agent smooths the waters.

Once these changes are agreed, the edits get honed down to miniscule alterations. But sometimes these can be the most important. A single sentence added or removed could make or break a chapter, or indeed the whole novel if something is revealed too soon etc. Once all this is ironed out, the typescript goes off to the copy editor. To become a copy editor, you have to have been an eagle in a former life. They spot things normal mortals can't. Think typos, grammar, continuity, style - house and writing - and other bits and pieces that we have missed so far. It's like polishing the lipstick off your teeth before you step out in that new gown. It's one last OCD glance in the mirror.

Then the typescript comes back to me and...I sit down with a very big pot of tea... You get the picture. Once I've gone through stack of pages again, I send it back. My editor goes through everything again, raisies queries about my queries, perhaps adds a few more changes based on my changes as a result of the copy editor's changes...then, finally, the novel will go off to the typesetter.

Then I get it back. More tea...more mark-ups, more back and forth...etc etc... then, if we're lucky, silence. Just the clackety-clack of the printing press. Not the time to be thinking about edits.

So, as you can see, editing is a huge part of writing. I wouldn't say it's the most part, but very nearly. There has to be something there in the first place to edit, but once you have that first draft, once you've spent months and months writing, don't do yourself a disservice by not editing. Now go and listen to Regina Spektor's song and sharpen your pencil.

And let me know how YOU do it.

Sam xx

Coalville Library Crime Fiction Festival

2008-10-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm talking at Coalville Library Crime Fiction Festival on Saturday November 15th from 2pm. You can hear wise words from me (eek - better write some) about my life as an author and also find out lots about my books. You can buy them, too (hint hint) and I will deface them for you with my signature.

Writing festivals are good things. It means us authors have something to look forward to. During that particular week, you can attend a murder mystery evening, vote for a selection of authors, or listen to an Agatha Christie talk by John Martin, a chap who certainly knows his stuff.

Would love to see you there. Coalville is in Leicestershire, btw, so no excuses now you know where it is.

S.

D is for Deadlines

2008-10-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

The clue's in the word, right. Deadlines.

As an author, there's no escaping them. Before I was published, in those carefree days before contracts, all I wanted was a deadline. Please someone make me finish this book by Easter. Couldn't you pressure me just a little bit? Proper writers had deadlines, and I wanted one too.

'Ooh, no. Sorry. Won't be able to make that lunch date. I have an urgent deadline.' It was up there with 'Speak to my agent' in terms of feeling 'proper'. It was a badge of honour. I was certain it would gain me entry to some kind of exclusive authorial club; make me exude special literary pheromones; have everyone believe I was a real writer. All it did was make me rush out and buy more dye to hide the extra grey hairs.

So everything's set out in black and white. The contract states that in, let's say, twelve months your publisher not unreasonably would like delivery of a clean, readable manuscript. That it has to be a well-edited, polished, exciting, flawless guaranteed bestseller doesn't add that much extra pressure does it?

How then, does twelve months - a whole year - suddenly seem like a couple of days? How does spring become August, and summer transform in the blink of an eye into Autumn? Damn those Christmas cards and tinsel! How dare they be put out in the shops before I've finished my book.

The wise thing to do would be to plan ahead. Set a certain number of words to write each month, week, day - whatever gets you towards your deadline in a steady, unflappy way. Trouble is, life happens. Kids need taking to the dentist or have days off school with tummy ache. People 'pop' in thinking, ah, she only works from home. She'll be glad of the company. Then there's the business side of things, accounts, phone calls, emails, and checking proofs of the previous book, maybe attending the odd event or two, speaking at libraries etc. All this eats away at time allocated to write. Not to mention actually having a day or so off at the weekend or spending time with the family. Working from home is fantastic for 'fitting things in' (however much I may grumble about distractions) but also it can lead to novel-exhaustion because work is always there. There's nothing like a couple of days off (or a bar of chocolate) to get the creative juices flowing again. But that's hard to achieve when there's a screaming deadline looming.

Anyway, the upshot is... my latest deadline for my new novel is January 09. At the time of writing this post, I have written exactly 92530 words out of around 120000 words. So I'm not doing too bad. There's no panic yet. By the end of October, I will have finished the first draft, leaving me three months for revisions and editing, although the school holidays sit like the Grand Canyon in my work schedule.

I'm pretty disciplined about my writing most days. I don't feel good if progress is slow. And I also don't feel good about writing if the house is a mess or there's no food in the fridge. However, seeing as this is usually the case and my family are pretty resourceful, this deadline-induced state of mayhem is tolerated. And when the book's done, it's always time for a spring-clean, whatever the time of year. I like to thoroughly muck out my office. Get sorted. Scrunch up all those chocolate wrappers and gather up all the dirty coffee cups. It's a cleansing ritual. Make way for the new idea.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of meeting a deadline (except I had to get an extension last time!) apart from meeting a deadline with a novel that your editor loves and believes readers will love too. That, I guess, is what keeps me chugging forward. What keeps me wanting to write - and I would, deadline or not.

Desperately Seeking

2008-10-12T03:21:00.000-07:00

Most unusual search string that brought someone to my blog this month?

Suzi Quatro's local gym.

It raises a number of questions...

No Right Turn

2008-10-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

At one end of my street, you can't turn right. You also can't turn right when coming into my road either. This is for two reasons. 1) To stop my street being used as a rat-run. It's pleasant and has trees and children and cats. We don't want lots of cars down here. 2) The other reason is that, if you turn right out of my street onto the busy road, you hold up everyone behind you because, during rush hour, it's impossible to turn right. Going left, circling the roundabout, coming back again, keeps everything flowing.

So WHY does the woman in the four wheel drive - think huge, black, shiny and with a silly private plate that probably spells her name if you squint, stand on your head, and pronounce it with a French accent - WHY does she always insist on holding me up in the morning by bloody turning right out of MY street?

Today I managed to squeeze up on her left. I wound down my window. I shook my fist at her. I yelled 'Can't you read? It's no right turn.'

She could see right over the top of my little red diesel Fiesta that costs me £35 a year to tax, peanuts to insure, and does 65 miles to the gallon. So there she sat, staring over my roof, watching all the traffic go by, as I struggled to see over her rhinoceros-sized bonnet. Then she laughed at me. Then she wound down her window. She told me I should get a bigger car then I'd be able to see.

She is so going in a book. So going to drive a Del Boy-style three-wheeler. (Maybe I should re-read my previous post.)

C is for Character

2008-10-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone has one, don't they? A character, that is. It's what makes us human. It's what makes us react to situations. It's what makes others either like or dislike us. It is, ultimately, responsible for our decision making and therefore rather vital to have in a novel. If anything's going to actually happen, that is.

Years ago, when I wasn't very experienced... (and I know, compared to some authors, I still have a long way to go - although I'm nearly done writing my sixth published novel) ... I weighted my characters with layer upon layer of traits, attributes, reactions, ways of thinking, emotion, how they looked, navel-gazing, so that there simply wasn't any room for a story. Or if there was, no one noticed it because it was buried beneath all these over-zealous characters. It was a drag to read. No one in real life has that much 'character' - not all at once, anyway, and not so contrived.

It was an interesting and slow process, how I learnt about characterisation. People would politely ask 'What is your book about?'. (I'd written several complete novels before anything actually got published). My answer was usually something along the lines of 'A feisty woman who is angry, opinionated, and has a passion for XYZ. Then there's a man who's bereft, sad, lonely... A daughter who's rebellious, crazy, annoying...' I couldn't tell them what the book was actually about - er, because it wasn't really about anything. Apart from a bunch of overwrought characters.

After a while, because of all the comments/feedback I'd been getting from various sources, I began to tone down the larger-than-life players who broke into my work. They became more subtle, more realistic, and of course ultimately more believable. If something doesn't ring true with a reader, if you give them reason to shout out Yeah right enough times, then bit by bit you'll lose their attention. So this left me with a cast of characters who, OK, might have been a bit too bland in many ways, but at least they weren't all stereotypes and overreacting to, er, nothing.

The thing was, I was left with these characters, but there was no story as such. No plot. No momentum. Nothing to bring out their true worth. That's where story comes in (see future post). Without a story to tell, there's no way for your readers to get to know your characters. Without characters, there's no way to tell your story. They are chained together. It was at that time, surprisingly late on in my many failed attempts at publication, that I finally realised this simple fact. Had I not flunked out on my MA in Creative Writing, I would have learnt this a lot sooner.

It was a dawn breaking over my keyboard. An epiphany. And it was incredibly hard work at first, having to think of this whole 'story' thing. But it didn't half give the characters I'd been struggling with a sense of purpose, a real sense of place and belonging in my work. This may sound rather simplistic - and indeed it is. The crafting of an entire novel is far more intricate, dependent on so many other factors (not least a good editor). I doubt I'm qualified yet to even hazard a guess at what it is that makes a novel 'work'. But what I do know - from my own experiences only of course - is that character and story are intrinsically linked. It's even hard to write this post about characters without going on about story.

So now, when my feisty, angry, opinionated woman with a passion for German accents, sports cars, and train spotting strides onto the pages, or a bloke with an eating disorder, a divorce and a body odour problem, just won't go away, I'll throw a good dose of story at them. Watch them curl up and die.

B is for Book-Buyers

2008-09-23T03:42:00.000-07:00

It is, of course, also for 'books', but I wasn't about to write about that. That would have been silly. We all know what books are.

Book-buyers are Very Important People. When I say book-buyers, I don't mean the book-buying public. Of course, retail customers are extremely important, and I am grateful to every single one of them. Without them, there would be no book industry. There would be no me sitting here bashing away at the computer every day. No, I'm referring to the book-buyers who stock the bookshops and supermarkets. The ones that pick out lists of titles from the dozens of catalogues they receive, and the many sales presentations they sit through. They are pretty much gods and goddesses.

Before I was published, this part of the 'book' process wasn't something that had occured to me. The way I saw it, writers wrote books, publishers edited and printed books, bookshops sold books. Essentially, that's all true, of course. But there are many chains of people in between these milestones, and one key set is the book-buyers.

I've met a few of them. Yes, I was let loose on book-buyers. Quite brave of my publishers, I thought ;-) Headline are extremely good - renowned, even - for throwing impressive parties and dinners - things that make their authors feel like, well, authors. So I was very excited to be invited along to a number of dinners hosted by my publishers last year before the paperback of BLOOD TIES was released. There were perhaps half a dozen authors attending, and the other guests were...? Yep, book-buyers. They came from all types of establishments. Some were from the big high street chains, some bought for the indie bookshops, and some were buying for the supermarket giants. And they all had one thing in common. They knew everything there was to know about books. Their passion for the business shone through the delicious food, the freely-flowing wine, and the clouds of cigarette smoke. And there was a lot of all that.

I was surprised at how young some of them were. Yes, it could be that I'm just getting old, and of course people in their late twenties/early thirties are perfectly capable of deciding what sits on the shelves of Tesco. Several owners of independent bookshops attended the dinners. They were responsible for their own buying, their own marketing, shelf-stocking, and quite possibly cleaning the shop too. They are dedicated to their businesses. They run book groups, kids' mornings on a Saturday, invite authors to sign and talk, and serve coffee and cakes. They exhausted me just telling me about it!

Other book-buyers in the big chains or supermarkets have a very specific job description. Buy books that are going to sell. Buy lots of them, and buy them cheaply. Publishers will present their season's list well in advance - like any retail industry, really - and I assume that stock orders will mainly be based around this and other hype/publicity/future marketing campaigns planned. Meeting with the authors at the dinner is a bonus for all. They get to meet the names behind the titles they're buying, and we can flutter our eyelashes...I mean, talk sensibly about our work and future titles. It's fun. It gets us away from the office/study/kitchen table/understairs cupboard. Oh, and I can wear a posh dress and stay in a trendy boutique hotel.

So, to sum up: Book-buyers are VIPs in the publishing world. They get our books on the shelves. They like nice food and wine. My daughters like them because it means, the next day, they get given little shampoos and sewing kits.

Sam xx

NEXT UP: There are a lot of things beginning with C. Copyeditors, covers, character...

A is for Agent

2008-09-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Look, it's going to buy me twenty-six posts, okay? That is, as long as I can find things in publishing that begin with V, X and Z. Actually, the X isn't hard at all. But you'll have to wait a while for that one.

So I thought I'd do my own publishing A-Z. Knock up a true-to-life, author's-eye view of the industry. Completely from my point of view, of course, which is going to be unlike anyone else's. And no apologies for omissions, errors, or differences. This is what's been happening to me in the business for...well, the last twelve years at least. Starting with agents. Even though A for Anxiety was a close second.

Love them or hate them...think of all those form rejections and nine month waits...having an agent, in my opinion, is essential for an author. Thankfully I love mine. I'm very lucky. (Actually, very persistent, as you will see.) Literary agents are worker-outers, and not just in the financial sense. They work out deals, problems, and make all those phone calls you've been putting off. And they take you out for nice lunches. And stop you drinking too much at parties.

But getting one? It's not as if you can go order one off the internet. Or ring one up and say please represent me. Other agents are willing to take their percentage - estate agents, financial agents, even secret agents are easier to come by than literary ones. So why weren't they biting my hands off?

I've probably written an entire novel's worth of submission letters to 'suitable' agents over the years. Not all replied. Some replied within minutes to email submissions. The average wait for a reply to a submission package of letter, short synopsis and about fifty pages of writing was, I'd say, about two to three months. I hit small, one man agencies as well as the multi-agent giants. And it was always no. No, no, no. If that email pinged back immediately, I knew it was no. How could they have read anything so quickly? A big fat self-addressed envelope through the door? Nope. Nada. Zilch. Always no. Before opening it, I'd kid myself that they'd taken a photocopy of the typescript and were politely returning this one with an immediate acceptance letter and agency contract. It's quite nice to place the envelope, unopened, on the kitchen table, have a cup of tea, and sit and stare at it. Not-quite-broken bad news. Still that hope.

Here are some of my rejections. Just little snippets from letters over the years. I have a thick folder of them.

'I'm afraid that after careful consideration, our editors have decided it's not right for our lists.'
'I am sorry for the negative response but do feel that an agent must be wholeheartedly and unreservedly behind a work if he hopes to sell it to publishers.'
'Don't be too disheartened by this letter. Due to the huge pressure of work, we have to be very selective. We receive 200 submissions per week.'
'We are taking on extremely few new clients at the moment.'
'I'm afraid I don't love the material, so I will have to pass.'
'I wish you better luck elsewhere.'
'I would not be able to place this on my list.'
'I found your material promising but not quite right for my list.'
'I am not confident I could attract the interest of a publisher.'
'It's a dark story, in my view perhaps a little overwrought.'
'I don't feel this is something I could take further.'
'Thank you for your query letter and synopsis, which we have read with interest. We would like to request the first three chapters.'
Thank you for sending us the first three chapters. Unfortunately, it is not up to publication standard.'
'Thank you for sending me the pages. I will be in touch when I have read them.'
'I have now read your pages. I think I am missing something. I was initially stumped by the opening...but then I began to connect...anyway, I will wait to read some more.'
'Thank you for sending me the rest of your typescript. Sadly, I do not feel this is something I would be able to represent.'
'I started to read this with the same enthusiasm I had for your writing first time round...But I found this novel somehow out of date...'
'Clever writing but not my kind of thing, sorry.'
'As explained, I am taking on so few new clients I have to be very enthusiastic before committing.'
'I do very much like your writing but, alas, I don't like this book quite enough to feel I can offer to represent you. But someone else will, I feel sure of it.'

Sound familiar? These are a tiny part of my collection. I'm very proud of them. Many authors say they can wallpaper their living room with rejections. I could wallpaper my entire house. And next door.

Assuming you have a spark of interest from an agent, what happens next? They've read the first fifty pages and liked it, so it's highly likely they might call you up and request the rest of the manuscript. Speaking to an agent on the telephone is a bit like having god pop in for a chat. You're convinced it won't ever happen, even if you do believe.

The first agent I ever spoke to wasn't actually on the phone. It was in Real Life. Face to face. Breathing the same air as him. I'd approached this agent - actually recommended by someone I'd previously met 'in the business' - and he kindly read my work. He invited me to come to his office. This was a very big deal. And I knew, just knew, that I was going to blow it. And I did. I'd been given this opportunity, literally an angel-sent invitation into the inner sanctum of the literary world, and I completely and utterly crumbled. And he sensed it, too.

What did I do wrong? Loads, and it's all too cringeworthy to write about. Probably, if I'm honest, the biggest mistake was that I never followed up successfully with the kind of ideas he was after. At the time, my writing was too experimental for his liking. He represented commercial fiction as well as some very well known TV names. My little offerings weren't for him. He said he saw me, ultimately, as a psychological thriller writer. That was back in 2002. Astute chap, eh? Towards the end of our meet, he asked me: Will you write a novel about a paedophile? I said No, I won't. Go figure.

The next time I met an agent was at a writers' convention. I was writing horror and fantasy, convinced it was where my heart lay. After all, I'd been writing in this genre since I was ten years old. It was a genre-based get together of fans, publishing folk and writers. There were workshops and panels and interesting people. I made some nice friends and good contacts. Plus, highlight of all highlights, I'd booked myself a 'Pitch to the Agent' session. I had ten minutes or so to tell her why she should take me on as a client. She'd already read my material prior to the meet. Nothing scary then.

In fact, it wasn't scary at all. She was very nice. And I don't think I made a tit of myself this time. She even said, if the novel continued in this way (it was an unfinished novel!), then she'd be very interested in representing me. It was as good as a 'yes' for me. I left with a handshake, a smile, and the extra oomph I needed to write the remaining eighty thousand words. A year later, I delivered my manuscript. She remembered me. She read it. Then she rejected me.

That was in 2003. Much writing 'stuff' happened subsequently, including more of the letter-based submissions . But agent-wise, nothing positive kicked-off again until early 2006. I been writing for Virgin Books - two novels - (see future posts for this - probably V and X!). I'd also been in touch with an editor at a big publisher via an 'industry contact' and she was teetering about my book. In the end she said no, but recommended me to a well-respected literary agency. I worked closely with them for a month or two, changing and re-shaping my novel as per their suggestions. They were very good suggestions and the novel was much better for it. I re-submitted and they re-read. Then they rejected me.

Because of the novels I was writing for Virgin books, I'd joined the Society of Authors. Membership includes vetting of contracts. I was at a regional Society meeting and bumped into a writer that I'd met a couple of years before. We got chatting and he said that he'd mention me to his agency, see if they'd perhaps take a look at my current novel. Writers are nice like that.

Three months later, I was sitting in a restaurant in London with my new agent. She'd read my novel (taking only a weekend!), decided she liked it, decided I was right for her list, decided I probably had more novels in me, decided I wasn't an idiot (because now, agent-experienced me didn't act like one) and decided to offer me an agency agreement. Then I got sick and ended up with a heart monitor, which actually recorded on its trace the skip of my many palpitations as my agent rang me to say she'd got me a two book deal. The news is officially recorded in my medical records. The doctors said I wasn't going to die, which was also good.

I should add that my lovely first agent decided after a while that a change of career was in order for her. (I don't think it was anything to do with me.) I was sad to see her go but also delighted to be represented by another wonderful lady at the same agency. In actual fact, it was an agency that I'd approached years before with some of my more 'experimental' work. They sent me a very swift and personal response, encouraging me to approach them in the future.

So, you can see, 'A is for Agent' is very closely related to 'A is for Anxiety'. The moral of this very long tale: Try and get a good deal on discount postage and never give up. They get worn down in the end.

No Spitting

2008-09-12T01:27:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start this post with something that will probably single me out as the most obsessive person in the entire world, but writers notice these things. Hopefully at least one other person will comment and say yeah, that really bugs me too. Then I won't feel quite so odd.

So...it's carrier bags. Yes, I know we shouldn't be using them and I'm very responsible and have a large assortment of reusable flowery shopping bags. (Tasteful ones.) And the reason I began using my own? Not entirely to save the planet single-handedly, no - although that is very important. Someone needs to keep the reusable bag factories belching out CO2, don't they? No, the main reason for taking my own bright pink bags to the shops is so that I don't get someone else's spit on me. What's with all the cashiers at the checkout slobbering on their hand before they pluck a plastic bag off the rack? Didn't come off first time? Hey, let's spit on our fingers again and smear some more of my bodily fluids on this obsessive writer's shopping.

I'm sorry. I don't like it. And I told a rather spotty youth who was full of cold (he had the nerve to add snot to the carrier-bag-opening mix) that I didn't want him leaving traces of himself on something I was going to put my food in. Anyway, I held up my own bag proudly while he stared at me, unable to comprehend that I'd even commented on such a thing. And if anyone works on a supermarket checkout, I know it's hard to open the darn things if people insist on using them. But perhaps a little dish of water, one of those spongey things like they used to have in the Post Office, might be more hygienic?

So, let's rise up against spitting on bags. I would start a Facebook group if I knew how (I've been trying to get to grips with it). SASOB - Shoppers Against Spitting on Bags. I mean, it's wet when you pick it up. Please tell me it's not just me that thinks this.

On a far less OCD note, (really, I'm not OCD. Not that there's anything wrong with being OCD of course. I'm just not. I was discussing similar things with a friend recently - you'll know who you are if you're reading this - and I just want to let you know that the towel thing is fine. Quite refreshing for a man to think that way. You keep right on arranging them) Anyway...as I was going to say...I'm still answering lots of brilliant questions over at the Book Club Forum. Every month, they invite an author to come and chat with their members, talk about their writing, how they got started, what they like reading, what inspires them etc etc... and so it's me this time hopefully sounding all authorly and like I know what I'm talking about. And they're a jolly nice bunch of people too. I will certainly be visiting the forum once September is over. And they're going to be running a competition with my books as prizes - so go and join in :-)

School's finally back and the house is oddly quiet during the day. Things stay where I left them; food sits in the fridge uneaten; there's no thud-thud of the kids' music shaking the floors. No one asking me for a lift to the cinema. No one asking for money. So it's full steam ahead and then some on the novel. I so desperately want to let on what it's about, but I won't for now. I had a lightbulb moment about the title recently and my agent liked it too. Fingers crossed that my ed will go for it. She has a knack of knowing what's just right, and she's always honest. Always spot on with these things. I would imagine there'll be a teaser in the back of the Unspoken paperback when it's out...maybe the first chapter or so...more will be revealed in the next few months.

Finally, a bit of clever fun from the blog of Caroline Smailes, author of recently published Black Boxes. Click the thingy below - it takes you to other places. Guaranteed no spit.

STOP PRESS NEWS: I've just seen that the new cover for UNSPOKEN is up on Amazon. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Author of the Month

2008-09-07T02:45:00.000-07:00

That's me - over at the wonderful Book Club Forum. I'll be answering questions on the forum's 'featured author' thread throughout September so do stop by and ask me something. About writing. And nothing hard.

Sam

Happy Christmas

2008-09-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

So, who enjoyed the summer?

Today I took the She-Devils shopping for new school uniform - winter uniform - but I also had to buy a couple of birthday cards. First thing I saw in the card shop? Christmas cards. Something is seriously amiss. Maybe there's nothing wrong with the weather at all...perhaps there's no such thing as global warming. All that's happened is retailers have surreptitiously changed the calendar, one day at a time over the years, so that summer is now aut...well, you get my drift.

Thankfully, during the holidays, we spent lots of time in a place of no rain. Andalucia - just outside a beautiful mountain village, away from the hustle of the coast although near enough to indulge in a few water sports, and with a welcome breeze each afternoon. Think al fresco dining, swimming, sailing, barbecues without umbreallas, tons of reading, happy She-Devils and a nearly-seventeen-year-old son who slept most of the time (to correct the deficit of the last year, he said), whether it be in bed, in the pool or on a sunbed. He did, however, stir rather early on exam results day. Bleary-eyed, he asked me to drive him to the nearest internet cafe. So we trundled off down the mountain along hair-raising dirt tracks clinging to precarious slopes only to find that the whole town's internet was down. We stood and stared at each other, wondering what the Spanish for 'well bloody get it working again' was. Not to be outdone by some hapless Spanish road-digger with a wayward shovel hacking through a cable, we blew about fifty quid and half an hour as Ben managed to log onto the net with his mobile phone. As the results filtered in, his eyebrows raised, a smile formed (quite hard to do after only eighteen hours sleep) and he began nodding, as if he might even be proud of himself. Quite casually he told me that he'd hit straight A* and A grades in all his GCSEs. Go Ben. And his English result was in the top ten in the country. Go Ben again. Proud? Me?

Anyway, what this means is that he must have been studying in the Easter holidays and not messing about on Facebook all that time. Maybe he actually believes me when I say it's...erm...a waste of time. But I suppose I only say that because I'm still not sure what it does. I try, honestly, to use it...but can't. I am officially FaceSpatially-Challenged. I just don't get it. I don't want everyone to see all my photos or know what I was doing today or if I'm interested in men or women or what my religious/political views are. Anyway, what's wrong with the phone? Or popping in? Or sending a card? Remember those flowery notelets you'd get at Christmas from a distant aunt and use them all up writing thank-you notes on Boxing Day? I liked them. Which brings me back to cards and the wretched Christmas display in the shop. This year I'm going to call it Deadlinemas. I will decorate the tree with Post-It notes saying 'Will you make it?' or 'Really? Another coffee?' or 'How many words a day do you call that?' or 'Haven't you even thought of a title yet?'. A black crow could sit in place of the star.

As you may have guessed, I have an end of year deadline for my next novel. Well, it's a little after actually, but I like to give myself a fail-safe. I'm halfway through writing this one and as wonderful as our holiday was, I was kind of looking forward to getting back behind the keyboard. It's another emotional thriller, as yet without a title, but it's all hanging together very nicely in my head - all plotted but with enough room left for the characters to throw in a few surprises of their own. I often wonder what the covers might be like for my books and, of course, having a title helps this visual process. Talking of covers, I received a nice surprise while in Spain when my agent phoned to ask if I could approve the new paperback cover for Unspoken. (Out in Feb 09.) So I went to the little internet place in the mountains when the cable wasn't broken, and I was blown away by what Headline have come up with. I knew it was most likely going have a different cover to the hardback and, while I love that cover too, the new one certainly packs a punch. It's very 'thrillerish', quite dark - visually and emotionally - and a big step away from the paler, perhaps more feminine covers before this. But a change of image is good. People do judge books by their covers and, initially, why not? A lot of thought, money, meetings and expertise go into producing them. It's the initial lure for a potential reader. It hints - no, actually, shouts (or should) - at what lies between the pages, and, like everything else in retail, there are trends and fashions that come and go. I love my new cover and it's actually making me look forward to Deadlinema...I mean, Christmas this year. Just two months after that and I'll see it on the shelves. Publishing schedules move pretty slowly - or rather everyone just plans very far ahead - and so I find myself wishing my time away just to see the next one 'out there'.

So, meantime, it's on with nameless novel and hopefully real soon now I'll have a shiny new website upon which to display my new cover. That is if I can still afford the designer's rates hint hint BJ :-) And get off Facebook, boy!

UNSPOKEN

2008-07-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today sees the publication of Unspoken in hardback. I can't believe July has come round so quickly. It doesn't seem a minute ago that I was tweaking the manuscript, fretting over various scenes, making last minute changes.

Writing a novel is a constant drill-down. Broad, comprehensive first drafts, followed by uncountable revisions, discussions, more revisions, agreements, disagreements, light-bulb moments, and constant thought whether in front of the computer or not. Until it's done, it fills your life. Everything relates to the novel. Sometimes - perhaps an overheard conversation, perhaps a snippet on TV or in another book, perhaps just a random flash of inspiration at 2AM (haha!) - can answer a burning question, solve a dilemma, close the gap. Then, just when you're not looking, it's publication day. The book is out there for people to buy. And it doesn't just happen. I don't think I know half of what goes on behind the scenes, although I have a pretty good idea, having worked with Headline for several years now. These folk know their stuff.

So I went to London yesterday and had a very tasty lunch with my agent and editor here. Hodder have published an Acorn House cook book, which I might just have to get. Their ethos is to use locally grown, fresh ingredients and encourage less waste. It has tips on shopping wisely as well as running an eco-kitchen. Apparently 15% of Britain's food ends up in the bin. I don't think that takes into account my kitchen in the summer holidays with three kids at home. Not even the packaging makes it into the bin here. I swear my son eats it. Before it's even put away. Then he moans there's no food.

Anyway, we had a delicious lunch, toasted the launch of Unspoken as it sails off into the world, plus we discussed my new novel in great depth. Yes, Headline have very kindly decided they would love to publish it, and the one after that, so we toasted the new deal too. And talking of new deals, I have also just signed up two more books with my German publishers Ullstein. Suddenly I feel very busy.

After lunch, which was actually nearly dinner time, I met with hubby and the kids, who had been lost in Harrods for the entire afternoon. A very dangerous thing when older She-Devil and her father are near expensive things. Mainly expensive clothes. One bat of the eyelashes and she has him. But, amazingly, they only came out with one green bag. Guitar Hero. I'm still not sure what it is but apparently I have to have a go on it. We rounded the day off with pot-luck last minute tickets to We Will Rock You. It was pretty damned good. And pretty late by the time we got the last train home, but it gave me a chance to write up my notes and thoughts and all the brainstorming we'd done at lunch.
Finally, I got back to some interesting mail. I received the Slovak copies of Blood Ties. It's a hardback edition, quite a dinky format (paperback size), and with the same UK cover. There's only one problem. They seem to have got my name wrong.

If you read the hardback of Unspoken, do let me know what you think. I love this book and hope you will too. The paperback's out in the UK in February 09 and for readers in Australia and New Zealand, you'll be able to buy it from September.
Sam xx

The Sound of One Hand Typing

2008-06-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

June is usually my favourite month in the garden. Shame, then, that I haven't spent much time outside so far this year. It's a bit of a mystery to me anyway, having recently moved house and inherited a beautiful well-stocked garden from the previous owners. New things appear overnight. I have amazing white poppies, the deepest red velvet roses, crazy red-hot pokers, slug-eaten lettuces, clematis to die for (the previous owners of our house were clemataholics), slug-eaten hostas, amazing purple-leafed things by one of the ponds, tall silvery things that look prehistoric... oh, and slug-eaten celery. I could go on with my knowledgeable plant descriptions, but just think time-starved author panicking every time she glances out of the window and sees all the jobs that need doing. Still, the tomatoes, aubergines and peppers are doing well. They have taken over the greenhouse.

And to top it all, I only have one hand. Yes, I know it was one leg last time (the cast's off now and I even wore heels again yesterday) and, in truth, I don't actually have one hand. Just the use of one hand, for now, although the 'I can't possibly do that because I only have one hand' thing is wearing a bit thin around here. There's only so much washing up to be got out of; only so many school runs I can avoid. Fact is, it's amazing how creative you can be with one hand. Especially when the one that's out of action has its middle finger permanently stuck in the air from a bandage. I had an operation to remove a lump. Nothing serious, it turns out, but I feel I was a big wimp about it. Bit squeamish, me. Anyway, little while longer of creative typing and avoiding all domestic chores. Didn't stop me picking a huge bowl of raspberries this morning though.

Work continues on my new novel, which has already sold in another big territory along with UNSPOKEN in a two book deal - contracts nearly sorted - so details to follow. And things are moving along nicely with my UK publisher and future books - again, details to follow once everything's finalised. It's certainly an exciting and busy time, writing-wise. And of course, it's UK publication day for the hardback edition of UNSPOKEN in a couple of weeks. I've had emails from readers 'downunder' asking about publication there. As far as I know, it's still scheduled for September so not too long to wait now. And I've learnt that Russia will publish BLOOD TIES this August or September. Not sure about the Slovak date yet. Time somehow warps in the publishing world, and suddenly a publication date that once seemed a lifetime away is close. That's how the paperback release date of UNSPOKEN currently feels - February 09 - but I just know that I'll blink and it will be here.

Talking of publishing, I was thrilled to see a friend, Adam L G Nevill, announce the publication of his horror novel BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED in paperback. This will be an amazing read. Adam is a hugely talented writer in several genres but this, I believe, is where his passions lie. He has a new website (which is very cool!) and is in Waterstones as the Bookseller's Choice for June. He is also a very nice chap. Go Adam!

I'm going to be redesigning my own website soon. Details of UNSPOKEN will be up there and possibly an extract or two. An overhaul is always nice. Like shifting furniture around. I'll shout it out when it's done.

Sam xx

Sticks and Stones

2008-05-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've slipped into my old ways. I don't mean for days and weeks to go by before I update this blog. But things get in the way, not to mention I actually forget I even have a blog! Anyway, just a quick update today...

Writing-wise, I'm forging ahead with book number three. Dare I say: Touch wood, it's going really well and I love it? No, probably not, although that's the truth at the moment. Something will no doubt happen to make me wonder where on earth it's going, why did I get into such a pickle... but for now, things are ticking along just as I'd like them to be. And I had very nice news earlier in the week regards a foreign deal. I won't go into the details until it's signed and sealed etc. but it made me very happy when my agent called. Oh, and I went to another enjoyable Headline 'do' at the end of the London Book Fair. It was a crime party. No, we didn't all have to commit one, but mug-shot and details of Unspoken (like the cover?) were up on a huge screen with other crime authors. It was in a rather smart club, and we (agent and I) mingled and met and talked and then, when I couldn't stand up any more*, I caught the train home. (*No, not because of the booze. See below)

I've had a rather bad leg, you see, and being on it in London - after three weeks of pain - forced me to the doctor the next day and then to the hospital for an X Ray. 'How long's it been like this?' the consultant asked. 'Three weeks,' I explained. 'Well it's broken,' he said. I refused plaster and so he gave me an Aircast. Amazing thing. Hardly Jimmy Choo but it does the trick. You pump it up. Instant relief. That was a couple of weeks ago and leg is feeling much more leg-like now, although my muscles have wasted away somewhat, while on the other leg, they have toned to body-builder proportions because I'm putting all weight on that side and using a crutch. I'm a bit of a 'before and after' person, really, all on the one body. And in case anyone's wondering, I broke it running. Not running for a bus, or chasing my youngest She-Devil around the garden, or even running away from a mugger. It was just plain old running. Jogging, if you like, in preparation for a ten kilometre race I was going to do with some friends in September. I think I'll stick to my swimming. And sitting. Running is clearly stupid.

Sam xx

National Year of Reading

2008-04-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone in Leicester on Friday? Don't have anything to do? (Does anyone not have anything to do?) Anyway, why not pop in to County Hall between 12 noon and 2pm and come and take part in a launch party event for the National Year of Reading. I'll be talking about stuff - about reading and what it means to me, about how I became a writer, and about authors I like to read. You can be sure of some truly amazing statistics. It's true. I have things to tell you. Plus, I will be revealing my top 10 list of 'things' to read (no, not the back of a cereal packet).

And finally, finally, I have added some much-requested book club discussion points to my website. Be warned though, there are spoilers in the points I've raised, so don't go peeking before you've read Blood Ties. Shame on you!

That's it for now - just a quickie blog so it doesn't look as if I'm neglecting it. I'm not really, it's just that writing about me writing, well, it's hard. Woman sits at keyboard and presses many keys... New book progresses. I promise, as soon as there's breaking news, it'll be here.

Sam xx

Talks

2008-03-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

My talk at the Essex Book Festival last week seemed to go really well. The library ladies were lovely and very welcoming, and a friendly, interested crowd gathered to hear me talk about Blood Ties and how I became a writer. I read and chatted away and read some more and then there were questions and after that I signed some books. Apparently, all the feedback was positive, and even the M25 home was flowing along. So all in all, a good day.

Talking of talks, I've been invited to speak at Leicestershire's National Year of Reading launch event at County Hall on 4th April. The event runs from 12 noon until 2pm with lots of other writing/reading things going on. I'll be talking about how I came to write, what reading means to me, and generally encouraging folk to get reading. Do come along if you can.

For me, the Easter weekend is a time of gardening but this year not one seed has been sown, not one twig pruned, and not one blade of grass cut. This is due to a number of things: 1) Snow. 2) Work. 3) I can't get into my garage to find my stash of seeds/gardening tools/mower because of all the boxes still stacked up from when we moved. I feel a sorting out day coming on. Spring does that to you. Makes you want to sort out. Sort of.

And congratulations to Neil and Aliya for getting their co-authored story into the new Elastic Press anthology. I don't quite understand how they do it, write together, but I'm looking forward to reading the result.

Sam xx

Don't Mention the War

2008-03-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm well and truly stuck in to Next Novel. I have a synopsis - or rather pages of confusing notes - and the drive to get on. But it's very hard leaving behind characters that I'll never see again. Rather like having to move in with a new family. I hope I like them. I hope they like me.

I had an email today saying that an extract of BLOOD TIES will soon appear in a New Zealand Sunday paper - The Sunday Star Times - as part of an Easter promotion. Another Headline autho r will be featured too so I won't be alone. I get quite a few emails from New Zealand readers. In fact, I get emails from lots of far-flung places - all of them so far have been nice messages; all of them encouraging, supportive; all of them saying they got something out of my book and wondering when the next one's out. Warm and fuzzy kind of emails - the sort that every author dreams of. And I really do appreciate that anyone who hasn't enjoyed it, didn't bother to write. Thanks to you, too.

But this fragile-egoed author needs a little extra support. My message to you dear readers is... if any of you speak German (fluent German!), please pretty please could you visit amazon.de and counter the recent review with a few lines of praise and a few more stars than the last person saw fit to leave. It makes me worry that I can't understand it (although babel fish gave me a pretty good idea!) and it also makes me worry that I can't read the German edition of Blutskinder. No - it just makes me worry. My words and I can't read them. So I have made a pact with myself not to obsessively check the amazons around the world. I have made another pact not to let one-off reviews get to me. Tell me I'm not the only author who feels like this.

Oh, and a reminder about the Essex Book Festival. I'm at it next week - Hullbridge Library 18th March 3pm. I believe all tickets sold but then they issued some more. Not sure of the status now but if you're interested, it would be worth making a call to 01206 573948. I'll be reading, talking, answering questions, trying to sound interesting and like a real writer should sound. Emerging, blinking, into the world from my study (which is now fully unpacked and tidy post-move) is a hard thing to do. I have an hour and a half to fill. Perhaps I'll get She-Devil to teach me a tap dance in case I need a filler.

Right, I'm off to hunt for my Fawlty Towers DVD s.

Sam xx

DIY and Doing Lunch

2008-03-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

What does an author who doesn't seem to have been out of the house for weeks and is sick of boxes and decorating do? Have lunch in London with her agent, of course.

Yes, on Monday I picked the plaster out of my hair, untangled myself from the sheets of stripped wallpaper, brushed off the dust, and took the train to London. (Of course, I had a shower too.) After a weekend of grot, it was nice to escape the dust and dirt and put on a bit of lippy and 'do' lunch. Having sworn never to get involved with a scrap of DIY again (after our last seven year renovation project), here we are, gasping and tut-tutting at quotes from professionals and rolling up our sleeves saying, We can do this much cheaper.

So I met with Anna here and we spent a few hours eating the tastiest food ever (way nicer than dust) and brainstorming my new novel. Having an agent is a Very Good Thing. Apart from being taken out for yummy lunches from time to time, it's like having a sensible me to talk to (acutally, it's way better than that!). Anna has a knack of being able to steer me away from ridiculous notions and set me straight on the ideas that have real substance. I pitched my idea to her. She loved it. She gave me ideas, we solved a problem, we got excited, and she was totally on my wavelength and had the same vision for this novel as me. She even loved the title.

Oh, and not that I'm one for name dropping or anything but cough *Jacqueline Wilson* cough was sitting a couple of tables away. As you can imagine, she kept pointing at me and saying really loudly, Oh my God! That's Sam Hayes over there! Of course, I just smiled sweetly at all the attention and got on with my scallops. It was funny. She'd been in the news that morning. Kids grow up too fast, apparently. Some people are saying that kids who read her books are helped along to premature adulthood by the themes in them. Suicidal mums, child abuse, death, divorce, teenage drinking and promiscuity.

But real life is real life. If Jacqueline Wilson's next book is about pink rabbits and happy families, apart from being boring, it's not going to change the world we live in. It's the 'Hundredth Monkey' effect. Now, if every author writes about bunnies and clean, happy people, then maybe we stand a chance. If you ask me, which no one is, then I reckon it's down to the parents. Yes, blame the parents. We don't have enough guilt. But when I buy a book for my daughters, I do wish they'd have an age rating printed on them. Something more specific than just being shelved in the 9 to 13 section. I don't have time to read the entire novel while browsing to check for disturbing bits. And what is a 'Young Adult'? Is that the same as an 'Old Child'? It's confusing. It's individual. It's down to the parents, up to the kids. But hey, good publicity if you can get it, eh?

Right, I'm off to get on with my killer idea. Fluffy bunny massacred by smiling child.

Sam xx

The End of the World is Nigh...

2008-02-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

Clearly everyone will be asking Did the earth move for you so? I thought I'd avoid any reference to such a predicatble quip.

I woke to rattling. Pipes under the floorboards...radiators...windows. I was fully awake and terrified in seconds. The wardrobe doors juddered and the pictures wobbled. Not knowing when it was going to stop, or if it was going to stop, was the worst. Youngest She-Devil screamed out. Who's moving the house? She slept with us the rest of the night and I lay awake, waiting for it to happen again, waiting for the end of the world; watching through the window as mixed-up birds flapped through the night, twittering, thinking it was some kind of odd dawn. My first short story ever to be read out at school was about something similar - post-earthquake...empty dustbins rolling about deserted streets...tumbleweed...black sky during the day.

It was the sort of night when you felt like getting to know the neighbours, asking them in for a cup of tea at one in the morning. The sort of night when you consider - amongst all the mess that is our lives in 2008 - just how powerful nature really is. How temporary and fragile we are. How silly everything is.

Going through editorial notes on a five hundred page manuscript whilst propping open the eyelids is a challenge. Oh no, not because my latest novel isn't fantastically riveting - of course it is :-) Rather, I only dropped off to sleep again at four o'clock this morning and I'm rather buggered. Still, even through tired eyes, I can see that I'm so lucky to have the best editor in the entire world.

Right, back to it.
Sam xx

Life in the Medium Fast Lane

2008-02-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

I've started swimming again. Before we moved house, I'd got into the habit of taking an hour each day to carve the chlorine. It helped me to think and it also prevented me becoming a blimp because, let's face it, a writer's life isn't exactly an active one. Those chocolate biscuits shout real loud from the kitchen below.

Anyway, I joined a nice pool/gym within walking distance from home (haha to the gym bit) and off I went. When poolside, I was faced with a choice I hadn't anticipated. Three lanes. Three speeds. Three standards of swimming: hopeless, a bit less hopeless, and serious Speedos. In a flash, I studied the swimmers. I was looking for the Duncan Goodhews. I wanted to keep well out of their way. Then the lifeguard asked if I was okay (we're not talking Baywatch here) and suggested I try the medium lane. Medium? Grudgingly, I slithered in and joined the procession of swimmers. Actually, there were only two in the Lane of Mediocrity. One was an old bald chap (Duncan Goodhew?) and the other swimmer was what I can only describe as a skeleton with skin. And if she's reading (which is unlikely as I imagine she's recovering), then lady, you are amazing. She looked about ninety years old. I thought I might have to use my long-ago-learnt life-saving skills but she swam like a mermaid. Clearly, she should have snapped on her lycra Speedo suit and jumped in with the broad-shouldered boys in the fast lane.

Anyway, having sussed out the competition - because being lapped time and time again by people twice my age isn't funny - and sort of settled into the medium fast lane, I set about thinking. And after about ten lengths, I got into the groove. It's about then that I get drunk on chlorine. Eyes tight shut, ideas for Next Novel began to flow. It felt good. And I actually caught up with Granny a few times. So I stepped out of the pool forty-five minutes later (yes, I swam non-stop) heavy-legged and breathless, drowning in inspiration. In the changing room (it's all kind of open-plan and embarrassing) , I stopped and stared at the pegs draped in abandoned clothing. For a moment, I tried to match the garments to the women I'd spotted swimming. It was hard. But I knew for sure that the bright pink yellow polka-dotted shirt belonged to Granny.

In slightly more writerly news, I'll be speaking at the Essex Book Festival next month. I'll probably be saying quite a lot about this over the coming weeks. Like COME!! Like reminding everyone that it's March 18th at 3pm at Hullbridge Road, Ferry Road, Hullbridge and you can get tickets from the box office on 01206 573948. Take a look at the festival's website. There are some huge names attending. Minette Walters, Louis de Bernieres and even Suzi Quatro will be there. (Suzi Quatro!) So I'm in amazing company. Of course, they won't exactly be with me. They'll fill their own huge auditorium with thousands of fans. Anwyay, I'm going to be reading from BLOOD TIES as well as talking about the themes in the novel, chatting about the writing process, how I came to be a writer (how long have I got?) and taking lots of questions from the audience. It will be fun. Please come.

Finally, I wanted to mention a writer who is doing great things at the moment. Caroline Smailes, although I've never met her, seems to be a thoroughly decent sort. I read her blog. She is published by The Friday Project and her first novel IN SEARCH OF ADAM has received some amazing reviews. Caroline has now written an e-book DISRAELI AVENUE, which is totally free to download. All she asks is that you make a donation to One in Four, a charity set up to support those affected by sexual abuse and sexual violence. One in four children will experience sexual abuse before they reach eighteen. That's twenty five percent. That's nearly eight kids out of a class of thirty. That means it's likely that we all know someone who's suffered. It's easy to donate via Just Giving and Caroline has raised £1162 already. Not only do you get to help by donating, you get a stonking good read from Caroline. It's a subject close to my heart. BLOOD TIES covers such issues.

Right. I'm off to find my goggles.

Sam xx
PS: Two posts in a week??

The blog is back...

2008-02-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

I've recovered my password, blown the dust off my blogger account and... hey, I'm going to try very hard to make regular(ish) posts about my life as a writer - and anything else that I feel the need to make public. I think that's my problem with blogging - it's just so public. As a kid, I wrote a diary. It had a lock. I hid it under my bed. Oh, the shame if my brother found it and read it. I'm naturally a private person and also not silly enough to believe that anybody actually wants to know what I had for breakfast or what colour I'm painting my hallway. Or maybe I'm just not trendy enough to keep up with such erm... trends.

Big breath and here goes... (hell, I have since last July's post to catch up with news)

I moved house just before Christmas. Very stupid thing to do with hindsight. Not moving house - that wasn't stupid at all. We love living in the 'city' and have great plans for our beautiful Edwardian townhouse. And we have shops and cafes and restaurants and a market nearby. Even leaving behind our old farmhouse in the country wasn't as hard as I'd expected. I miss it but the time was right to move. No, the stupid thing was moving exactly seven days before Christmas and not having done a single scrap of festive shopping. I have three kids, including two excitable girls (She-Devils) who had been excited since September about presents. But pulling together with military precision and dividing the war zone that was the shops soon netted a fine haul. We even bagged a Wii. Result. We ate Christmas lunch among the forest of boxes. We drank champagne from mugs. Friends and family picked their way through piles of furniture to visit us. We knew it was home.

January saw the delivery of my next novel. UNSPOKEN is out in hardback and trade paperback this July with the paperback a few months after that. I received the cover flats this week and even though I'd seen the artwork before, holding the finished article was very exciting. It is a truly stunning and beautiful cover. I love it to bits and will be very proud to see it sitting on the shelves. As soon as I'm allowed, I'll put it on my website.

BLOOD TIES did me proud and flew off the shelves after its September release last year. I can honestly say I was stunned by the sales figures. It's an unusual and somewhat humbling thought to know that so many pairs of eyes are reading words that I wrote! But my book really struck a chord with readers and I get very nice emails from all over the world to prove it. Apparently there are a few of the huge posters still up at various stations. The London Underground was thick with the BLOOD TIES campaign and my publicist, Becky, took me on a very energetic and hot tour last year to get photos. (See myspace for the evidence.)

BLUTSKINDER is the German title for BLOOD TIES. Blood children, I guess. The cover is entirely different to the UK look - black and creepy, almost a horror cover - but I like it very much. It obviously suits the market out there and sits nicely under 'krimis und thriller'. And I even had a TV advert for the launch of the German edition. Vox channel picked BLUTSKINDER as their 'Krimmi Tipp' (crime pick, I think) and ran a load of ads for a week or so during CSI, Criminal Intent and various other evening shows. If I was really clever, I'd somehow embed the commercial here to show it off. But seeing as I'm not really clever, you'll have to imagine the German chap's deep, gravelly voice saying something sinister about my book. The only bit I could understand was when he said my name. I played it over and over, as you can imagine.

A week or two ago I attended a Writing Industries Conference at Loughborough University, hosted by the East Midlands Literature Network. It was a busy successful day with a huge turnout of both industry professionals and writers dedicated to learning the craft and the business. The speakers were inspiring and the attendees were clearly keen to take advantage of all the knowledge on tap. Much thought had gone into providing a broad spectrum of expertise - as well as ordering beautiful sunshine for the day for outside coffee breaks. As expected, I bumped into lots of people I know - and for me, that's the attraction of writing conventions. It gets me out of my attic (yes, I have another attic study) and out there, with real people, other writers, talking about writing. Talking about stuff. Making me realise how time passes. Making me glad that it has. But still, making me think; making me smile. I should do it more often.

So now I'm turning my thoughts to a new book. I'm spending many hours researching, making notes, allowing characters to develop, mulling things over, and all the while, I'm desperate to write. But not yet. The pot needs to simmer a little more. Thing is, I hate not writing. A writer once said to me - many years ago now - that he felt 'odd, weird' if he wasn't working. That was in response to my unpublished-days-as-a-writer statement that writing actually made me odd, weird. But that has changed now. Switched completely. True, I once found it an immense drain and emotional strain to put words down. I'd do anything to prevent my fanciful and over-ambitious ideas being written - even though I was desperate to see my work in print. But slowly I developed, slowly I honed those 'writing muscles' (which are a fact!) and slowly, gradually I reliased that not writing, not having a project, a book on the go, made me feel odd and weird. And I don't like it. Not one bit.

So perhaps I'll just tinker with some opening lines. Play with some thoughts. See if they turn into a chapter.

Sam xx

BLOOD TIES downunder

2007-07-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that things are going very well with BLOOD TIES downunder! Last Sunday, I was in the Sydney Sun Herald with a *whole page* to myself. I was a little worried that they'd have to use a really large font or leave big gaps but the very lovely Robyn Doreian did a fantastic job writing the article. We were on the phone for an hour so by the end of the interview, she knew plenty about me.

By all accounts, sale of the book are going 'blazingly well' and I've even been getting fan mail from readers - so thanks to everyone who's been in touch. It really is great to know that my book is out there...being read...being enjoyed.

I'm doing a Meet the Author clip very soon. Take a look at the site if you don't know about it. They've recently added a 'pitch your book' section and an authors' lounge. I'll add a link to my clip when I've done it. Then again... ;-)

Sam xx
(PS If anyone knows why blogger sometimes does double line space or single for no apparent reason, then can you let me know?)

Catching up...

2007-06-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yes...it's been a while since my last post but I've been working hard on my next book - leaving little time for much else. There will be a teaser of this novel (the first chapter) in the back of the paperback of BLOOD TIES, which is out this September but you'll have to wait until next year for publication of my second book. Meanwhile, I recently received the BLOOD TIES paperback book proof from my publishers. And it looks fantastic - especially with The Bookseller's lovely quotes splashed on the front and back covers. I was lucky enough to be picked up recently in the magazine's Autumn Paperback Preview section in the 'Breakthrough' novel category. I was even compared to Harlen Coben! The week before, The Bookseller listed BLOOD TIES in its 'Ones to watch' column, with another nice quote describing it as "a hard-hitting debut" and giving it "high marks". This is all gearing up for the September release of the paperback, of course, which suddenly seems mighty close even though we haven't had summer yet. Before then, I have to turn in novel number two and cram in a much-needed holiday. That we haven't booked yet.

The signs so far are fantastic for BLOOD TIES doing really well in Australia and New Zealand. It was released downunder at the beginning of June and, apparently, it's receiving quite a lot of hype. I was recently interviewed for a feature in the Sunday books section of the Sydney Sun Herald - to coincide with the recent publication - and this should be out in the next week or two. I have quite a few Aussie visitors to my site so make sure you pick up a copy! When I know exact dates, I'll post it here but I suspect it's Sunday 24th June. Plus, I'm in the featured authors section of the Australian Hachette Livre website.

Oh, and huge thanks to Lisa (June 14th) and Mel (June 17th) for posting fabulous reviews and very kind words about my book on their blogs. This is just the kind of thing that I love to see. Real people reading and enjoying BLOOD TIES. I want my work to bring on masses of talk and discussion and whip up some serious book group banter. Real soon now (promise) I'll be putting some book group discussion points on my website to get things started. And look what I found ... New Zealand Woman's Weekly have a competition to win 5 copies of BLOOD TIES. Fabulous!

And I now have a German cover. It's really quite scary, don't you think? I really like it, even though it's very different to the UK and Australian cover. The German publishers obviously know their market and dressed it suitably. It would certainly catch my eye in a bookshop.

Back in April, on the hardback launch day, I signed all these copies of BLOOD TIES. In record time, apparently. Perhaps it was because I wasn't too fussy about searching for a pen that was 'just right' or having a certain blend of tea to accompany the job or even a neck and shoulder massage while penning my name in all two hundred copies. Authors do, it would seem, develop little signing quirks. This is something to look forward to although if I do develop a signing fetish, then I hope it's for something easy to procure - like a bar of chocolate. (The pic was taken before I signed, hence the half-smile!)

I've been 'out there' quite a bit recently - let loose among book buyers while wined and dined in perfect style by my publishers. A jaunt up to Edinburgh followed a trip to Leeds and London where Headline staff collected other authors and book trade folk together for very enjoyable evenings of chat about our books and, of course, the world in general (that bit came later). Before I was 'signed', I hadn't realised just how important this sort of thing really is. Book buyers - a particularly friendly lot, it seems - are key to getting books in store and therefore, into readers' hands. I'm in London again soon for another dinner to meet the Amazon folk and also to do a Meet the Author video clip. I wonder how many takes I'm allowed?

Vegetable-wise (for those that don't know, I'm a passionate grower) things are coming on well in the garden. Having said that, my patch is a victim of time deficiency but even so, we've had all kinds of lettuce coming out of our ears, and the broad beans are fattening nicely, courgettes by the dozen are swelling and I've got a gazillion tomatoes, chillies, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers on the way. Not to mention all the other thousands of seeds I've not even had time to plant. Oh, and some of the potatoes are in flower although I haven't a clue when to harvest the earlies. Anyone know about spuds?

Finally, I've held my breath and jumped into myspace so do come and say hi and add me to your friends list. I'm going to (ha ha, when I get time) send out bulletins about my books and various events that I'll be attending in the future.

Meanwhile, take care all and thanks for visiting.

Sam xx

BLOOD TIES Publication Day

2007-04-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today is publication day! It's official. BLOOD TIES is now released in hardback.

So much has happened since last summer that it's impossible to detail everything in one post. Instead, it's my intention to drip feed useful information over time for readers and writers alike, hopefully satisfying everyone's interest in my work.

Today, however, sees me taking time out from my study (which needs a good clear out!) and I'm off to London to have lunch with my lovely editor and publicity lady. I'll also be signing lots of books and returning home feeling that BLOOD TIES is finally out there, in readers' hands, sparking interest, comment, emotion, and enjoyment. I loved every minute of writing it - however hard it seemed at times - and I hope that my readers will feel as much satisfaction as I did producing it.

September sees the launch of the paperback of BLOOD TIES in the UK - altogether a much bigger deal publicity wise - but meantime, the trade paperback hits Aussie shelves downunder in June and I've already been receiving requests for Sunday newspaper interviews from Sydney. The German translation is well underway, I believe, and will be released early next year, while contracts have now been signed for the Russian publication rights. I can't wait to see how that will look!

It's been a busy few months, and not only busy for me. The team at Headline, both here and in Australia, have been toiling away to make sure that my book is turned out in its best possible form. Not only are they dedicated to their products and authors, they are the nicest bunch to work with!

Looking ahead, my second novel...title to be revealed soon...is cooking nicely. I thought that the process of writing book number two might be overshadowed by doubt, pressure, having to live up to the first etc - but luckily, I don't feel that way at all. Yet! What I can say is that it's steeped in the same heartfelt emotion that drives BLOOD TIES, wrapped around a plot that's spinning me in circles writing it, and has an unforgettable ending.

So, now it's the Easter school holidays, I'm scratching around for writing time, juggling work with 3 kids, wondering where my husband has gone (he travels a lot!) and standing staring, mouth agape, at my garden as spring takes hold. I swear I hear those weeds laughing at me. But time-deficiency aside, it's a wonderful season outside. One of my favourite. I'm a passionate vegetable grower - a bit of a novice, I admit - but the thrill of sowing, growing, harvesting and eating is topped only by holding a copy of BLOOD TIES for the first time. Oh, and my kids when they were born. Except neither of those tastes half as good as a freshly picked basket of leeks or runner beans.

But before I can do much more in the polytunnel (yes, I'm that serious) we have family from Australia coming to stay over Easter. This is a greatly anticipated visit, especially as it's been far too many years since we have seen them. But once we have shown them the sights of the Midlands (that should take care of half a day, at least), warmed the cockles of their chilled Australian hearts with a pint or two of something very British, fed them up on a traditional Sunday roast and waved them off on the rest of their European tour, a normal writing schedule will resume. It's a little like having children, writing books. I'm sending one off into the wide world, most thankful to have another in the pipeline.

So thanks for stopping by. I promise that my posts here will become more frequent and hopefully prove useful and informative to readers, book groups, libraries and aspiring writers. I have so many ideas for this blog and my website at www.samhayes.co.uk. I'm sure they will both grow over the coming months into useful resources. My next project is to put up a page stuffed full of information for book groups - lots of discussion points and thought provoking ideas.

Until then, raise a glass...of tea, coffee, orange juice, pink champagne...(thanks to my lovely editor!), as BLOOD TIES finally leaves home.

Sam xx

New Blog!

2007-02-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks for stopping by! This is just to say that I'll shortly be adding a 'proper' post with lots of writerly news to go with my new website launch. Come back soon!