The Write Lines

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of recording an episode of The Write Lines with broadcaster Sue Cook to be one of three podcasts put out by Stories Unlimited for National Short Story Week. You can hear a snippet of the podcast here.

It’s me talking about short stories, novels and sex on a roof.

I kid you not – you should have heard the conversation about the novel uses people allegedly have for the Dyson hand dryer in public loos! Happily, that conversation took place whilst they were establishing sound levels and so was never edited in. (I hope.)

The  programmes will be available from http://www.thewritelines.co.uk, http://www.nationalshortstoryweek.org.uk and various other  websites and I’ll share them on Facebook and Twitter. Also, you’ll be able to download them as podcasts from iTunes – all FREE. They will be released on October 29th, November 5th and November 12th 2012 and will be available on demand. It’s a fantastic free resource and I thank all the sponsors for their involvement: Publishing Training Centre and Silverwood Books for the programme I’m in, Scrivener, and The Book Doctor.

My programme, How to build a career as a writer, is the November 5th one, with Julie Cohen and Nicola Morgan. The others are: 1 Ebook publishing and getting a traditional book deal, Mark Edwards, Roz Morris, and Mel Sherratt. 3 How to market your book, Alison Baverstock, Catherine Ryan Howard, and Jane Wenham-Jones. Sponsored by The Book Doctor.

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Are you interested in scriptwriting?

St Hilda’s College, Oxford                           2012 Media Conference

SCRIPTWRITING:  INSIDE TRACK

Professionals discuss the business of writing for film, television and radio

Saturday 27th October 2012

Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College

Chair of St Hilda’s Media Network:  Nicolette Jones (Sunday Times)

Guest of Honour:  Whit Stillman

10.30 – 11am                         Registration, coffee, networking

11 am – 12 noon            RADIO AND AUDIO:  THE PICTURES ARE BETTER                                                Panel:  Marion Nancarrow (BBC Radio Drama producer), Matt

Fitton (Big Finish writer)                                                          Chair:   Karen Holden (St Hilda’s, BBC Radio producer)

12 noon – 1pm            TV AND RADIO COMEDY:  NO FRIEND LIKE A SITCOM Panel: Ian Brown (freelance TV & radio comedy writer), Sioned Wiliam (freelance TV producer), Jean Buchanan (St Hilda’s, freelance TV & radio writer)                                           Chair:   Elizabeth Edmondson (St Hilda’s, novelist).

1pm – 2pm                           Lunch

2.15 – 3.15pm              TV DRAMA:  ONLY COPS AND DOCS?                                     Panel: Katharine Way (TV continuing series writer), Pooky Quesnel (St Hilda’s, actress & TV writer), Sarah Pinborough (novelist, TV & film writer)                                                            Chair:   Juliet E. McKenna (St Hilda’s, SFF writer)

3.15 – 4.15pm              FILM:  THE BIG SCREEN                                                               Panel: Whit Stillman (writer-director, Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco, Barcelona, Damsels in Distress), Harriet Rees (producer, Chalet Girl), Meg Davis (literary agent)                      Chair:   Roger Kirby (St Hilda’s Visiting Law Fellow)

4.15pm approx.                  Closing remarks, tea/coffee.

All timings are approximate, and please note the possibility of unforeseen      circumstances causing changes in the speakers listed above.

Cost, including refreshments & lunch:   £25   (students £15)

Booking, etc.:  http://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/alumnae-friends/events-and-reunions

Pitch your novel to a publisher

The Festival of Romance taking place in Bedford next month is providing a unique chance for writers to pitch their novels live to a panel of publishers. On the panel listening to and giving live feedback to the pitches will be editors from Mills and Boon who publish across many genres and romantic fiction ebook specialist Escape Press. The panel is completed by editors from erotic romance publisher Total-E-Bound as well as inspirational romance publisher Rose and Crown and chaired by literary agent Kate Nash. Those brave enough to pitch their work should come prepared with a opening excerpt of not more than 500 words as well as a 500 word synopsis of the whole story. “I’ve been on a panel for a live pitching session like this before,” says literary agent Kate Nash. “I think writers will learn as much from the panel feedback on all the pitches, not just their own, so it is well worth attending even if you don’t want to pitch work yourself.” The Pitch Your Novel event takes place at Bedford Corn Exchange on Sunday 18th November from 10am to 11.30am. Tickets are £5 and available online from http://festivalofromance12.eventbrite.com/ or from the Bedford Box Office 01234 269519.

News story here:

http://www.romanticfiction.org/profiles/blogs/pitch-your-novel-live-to-publishers

Dream a Little Dream goes live on Kindle! (And other things that make me happy)

I feel as if I’m getting two publication days with Dream a Little Dream. It has gone live on Kindle today.

Then, on 7th November, it’s published as a paperback.

And as my paperbacks arrived in a big box late last week, I had a happy day, then, too!

There are many, many things about being an author that make me happy. I recorded a Write Lines podcast with broadcaster Sue Cook, recently, which will soon be live on the National Short Story Week website. Fellow guests were Nicola Morgan and Julie Cohen. We talked about our lives as writers and one of the ‘a few of my favourite things about being an author’ points I came up with was that we’re lucky to be writing in the age of social media. Every week, readers get in touch with me through Twitter or Facebook to say that they’ve enjoyed one of my books – and I think that that’s an absolute privilege.

If you’re one of those lovely people – thank you.