Your Theme Tune

I was asked on The Next Big Thing blog hop about who I'd like to see act the roles in The Glass House.

I suspect there are plenty of writers out there who dare to let the mind wander; have a little daydream about your story in print and on the big screen.

It got me thinking about theme tunes.

My first completed novel length MS, Twisted Truth, is a romance. It tells the story of Charlotte and Mark, their coming-of-age, the disappointments that tore them apart and what happens when that first love is reignited over a decade later. I've always been able to hear The Undertones and Teenage Kicks play in the background to that story.

The Glass House is women's fiction, revolving around the lives of three women and the turmoil they are thrown into when a blackmailer finds a use for Caitlin's Victorian Glass House. Sticking with the Northern Irish theme, I'd choose Snow Patrol's Open Your Eyes.

Have you thought about theme tunes and if so, care to share?

Writing Group

I recently got in touch with a fellow Northern Irish writer, Suzi Hull. We're both looking for other like-minded female writers in NI who would be interested in joining a writing group. Suzi has suggested organising ourselves into an online writing group, initially swapping chapters and critique online. 

If you're a published writer or an unpublished writer, with a strong desire and ambition to be published, who is willing to swap honest and constructive feedback, we'd love to hear from you. 

I can be found on Facebook and Twitter - just follow the links to the right. 

This link will take you to Suzi's writing blog, Promenades and Parasols

Things That Drive You Mad

Do you ever have one of those little things that niggles at the corner of your mind and starts to drive you mad?

The children landed home from school with a fundraising quiz. Unscrambling 28 anagrams to find the name of famous couples. I've found 27 answers so far, spanning literary, scientific, small and large screen, celebrities, sports, biblical and royal pairings but one is alluding me and no matter how much I look at it I'm not finding any inspiration. It's sitting by my laptop taunting me to try it again. I'm trying to resist but can't stop my attention sneaking a peek at it.

It has to be completed by Friday so, one way or another, it will be out of my sight soon but I'll be disappointed in my word skills if it continues to evade me.

Want to have a go at it yourself? Well, here it is but don't tell me the answer if you work it out (even if I beg).
aoiYhToawrrrrtekaoBhGodss

Writing.ie

I live in a rural area and, combined with my family circumstances, it's difficult to find a writing group. Instead I turned to the internet and sought out writing communities, joining two writing forums, each providing peer review and beneficial in their own way. One in particular has a critique group for women's fiction, which I've found invaluable.

Through the chasm of Twitter I discovered writing.ie and joined their emerging writers programme. It's already proving to be a useful resource and way to meet other writers. Thanks to a link on it for Cornerstones I discovered Write A Blockbuster And Get It Published. This is one of the more pragmatic and easy to follow writing guides I've purchased, dealing with not only writing but the submission process. 

http://www.writing.ie/member-emerging-writers/lesa-clarke/
Cornerstones: Write a Blockbuster

Snow Day

We woke up to another blanket of snow in County Down this morning and we're having a snow day. The kids have been having great fun playing snow ball fights and finding make-shift sledges, while the dogs chase each other round the snow and then take a break to eat some.

It's all very picturesque when you aren't attempting to travel in it.

Going to be fun getting that coat brushed after snow running.

Might be cold enough to make this setter's tail stand on end but it's not stopping her eating it.

Our view of the Mourne Mountains a few days ago, when the last snow was still clinging to them.

Northern Ireland 2013 & Famous Faces

It's no secret that I love to read and create stories. I also get fed-up with the negative press this little corner of the world gets. There's no denying we've had more than our fair share of bad news but there's just as much, if not more, good about Northern Ireland.

For both of those reasons it always pleases me to see positive stories and the recent surge we seems to be having as a film location is no exception. I've blogged before about some of our beauty spots and the tv/film crew they've attracted; Your Highness, Game of Thrones and Blandings have all been mentioned here.

Last week Liam Neeson returned to Northern Ireland to receive the freedom of his home, Ballymena.

Lian Neeson receives Freedom of Ballymena


This week starts with the news that Sir Ian McKellen has also visited Northern Ireland and, like James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson, it turns out he has roots in Ballymena. He was here to receive an honorary degree from the University of Ulster. It was presented at the Magee Campus, in Derry-Londonderry, the 2013 City of Culture.

UTV: Ian McKellen
City of Culture 2013

Maybe, someone out there might even take a chance on a little story set in Northern Ireland by an unknown Northern Irish writer! One that has some reference to the residue of our past but focuses on family, the Northern Ireland setting and how first impressions can taint how we view people. Fingers crossed The Glass House finds an audience.

Covering Letter Tips: Darley Anderson

I previously posted a link to nine, of ten, covering letter top tips from the Darley Anderson Blog.

Tip ten was published today and it seems those polly pockets (as I know them) are a no-no. The latest post also gives a handy review of the other nine tips.

Tip Ten

I have one more to add. If, like me, you sometimes write a letter and stew on it for a few days, before sending, don't forget to change the date. Quite annoying when you notice a detail like that, after you've hit send, and so much time was spent concentrating on the body of the letter.