How a 'Ghost' Came Alive!

In September on the Famous Five Plus blog, I wrote about an amazing coincidence that happened on an HF (Holiday Fellowship) walking holiday this year in Exmoor, Lorna Doone country.

It seems that my great grandmother, then aged 22, as shown in the 1851 Census , was a ‘Housemaid’ in the National Trust house where we stayed – Holnicote House  on the Holnicote Estate, Selworthy, Somerset.

 

I since found a photograph of her and I thought you might like to see it. This lovely lady is Harriet Gregory and I do not know when this beautiful photograph was taken or who took it.

My imagination then really got to work. I pictured her walking round the corridors with her pail and mop; or perhaps scouring pans in the dusky evening light in that back room where we had taken off our sodden boots.

Or was this below her station? More likely she may have been required to serve luncheon to her mistress and master at a grand table in the dining room where we had been served by delightful waiters with charming smiles and foreign accents; or perhaps her duty was to carry a tray with afternoon tea and cake to the spacious lounge where we were entertained with quizzes of an evening.

Maybe she would have spent a morning gossiping with the scullery maid or the butler, as she sat polishing the brass or sorting out the silver cutlery in the small room where I had sipped a gin and tonic at the bar.

Out in the garden did she play with the children of the household, with balls and hoops, when she had a spare moment?  I wonder at what unearthly hour she rose in the morning to rake out the grates and brush the hearths; would this have been among her many tasks?  I was wondering where she slept? Did she have a little room, lit by a single candle, in the attic? Did she get on with the other members of staff and the family she served? Oh, and did she have rough hands for one so young – and housemaid’s knee?

Yes, most of all, I wondered if my maternal great grandmother was happy in her placement and I like to think she was. It is a beautiful place and although the work was probably hard, I hope her employers were kind.  It was a comfort to see from another photograph and explanatory notes made by my sister, that her parents, my great great grandparents, lived in a cottage close by; we must have walked past it. This couple, then, would be the great, great, great, great grandparents of my grandchild and no doubt Harriet would have been living with her loving parents.

As I said in the Famous Five Plus blog, her husband, in 1851 still her husband-to-be, later started the Porlock Brass Band, managed it and compiled a book of rules for the members – my maternal great grandfather! There is a photo of him taken circa 1880 with the band. Did his wife love music too? I can picture her humming quietly as she worked …

I feel the ghost has come alive!!

I hope I can find out more ...

I Wrote it My Way - Melanie Robertson-King

Now it is time to give another warm handshake across the pond, this time to Melanie Robertson-King - my third guest author who is here to tell us how 'she wrote it her way' and found her chosen genre.  It is so fascinating to see how different my author friends are, don't you agree?

Her biography makes fascinating reading - you can find it on her blog. 'The daughter of a Scottish national, who came to Canada as a ‘Home Child’ through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland ... Melanie is a native of eastern Ontario.' (A long way from Appley Green!)

Melanie says, 'After reading your first two features with Darlene and Janice, I knew I would have some pretty big boots to fill. I had just finished reading the first four books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I love Scotland and all things Scottish so immediately fell in love with her books. One of my friends who had read some of my short stories (also a Diana Gabaldon fan) thought I could write something just as good and so I thought why not give it a go? And soon afterwards, the pre-cursor to A Shadow in the Past was born, all 16000+ words.

Back then, I thought chick-lit was likely the best fit but as time progressed, I came to discover a genre called YA Crossover. My heroine is nineteen, there's no graphic sex (a few references to, shall we say a lack of) and this genre is suitable for readers ranging in age from 13-25 and anyone else who is young at heart.

I love Chris Longmuir’s gritty, crime novels (I’ve known Chris since 2001), in addition to other Scottish crime authors (Ian Rankin and Stuart MacBride), Diana Gabaldon, Barbara Erskine, Harper Lee (loved To Kill a Mockingbird), Agatha Christie, Lois Duncan, and since getting an iPad with the Kindle app, I’ve discovered a host of other authors I never knew about that are now on my “favourite” list – Janice Horton, Juliette Sobanet, Bill Kirton, and now that I’m a member of loveahappyending.com I’m working my way through the books by our featured authors.'

A Shadow in the Past

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

When nineteen year old Sarah Shand finds herself in Victorian Era Aberdeenshire, Scotland, she has no idea how she got there. Her last memory is of being at the stone circle on the family farm in the year 2010.

Despite having difficulty coming to terms with her situation, Sarah quickly learns she must keep her true identity a secret.

Still, she feels stifled by the Victorians’ confining social practices, including arranged marriages between wealthy and influential families, confronts them head on and suffers the consequences.

When Sarah realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

@RobertsoKing on Twitter

FREE promotion is HERE - NO GYPSIES SERVED

No Gypsies Served is now a FREE promotion on Amazon Kindle for 5 days, from 12 - 16 October. Take advantage of this and download now onto your Kindle or Kindle App.  Click here   Amazon Kindle (UK)   Amazon.com (USA)

Two years have passed since Kay successfully campaigned for the Appley Green Gypsy Site, and four years since her husband was murdered. Life in the village was going so well, until the phone call and letter. Then comes the disastrous site opening. Worst of all, Dunstan, whom she realises is her best friend and ally, is giving her the cold shoulder for some unknown reason.  

Dunstan is taking an emotional trip down memory lane, into childhood as a Gypsy on the road, and his eventual break from his people. Why is he so angry with Kay that he keeps away from her? Chances of a longed for reconciliation look slim ...

Another question that springs to many people's minds when they see these words on the 'back cover' is 'Why did Dunstan break away from his people?' This is very unusual. I am sorry - you'll just have to read the book to find out!

"No Gypsies Served picks up the story of Gypsies Stop tHere two years on, in Appley Green; so it is a sequel but, as it goes back in time, it is also the prequel. You could read No Gypsies Served first if you prefer because they also stand alone as stories."

A Reminder of Reviews of No Gypsies Served

Many FIVE STARS here on Amazon

A few interesting insights into No Gypsies Served, by Scarlett de Courcier, Bohemiacademia

“I'd recommend them as essential reading to anyone; I think they should be in every local library, preferably on the 'recommended' shelf, “

Her No 2 Choice of 13 Top Books of 2010

“ … if I'm going on just how much I was impressed by a book, and how important it is to society at the moment, Wakerly's two novels have to take joint second place.

Really, really beautifully written.”

Louise Graham, Lou Graham's Blog

“Miriam has really helped me understand the Gypsy community a little bit better with some compassion.”

Nikki Bywater, Books 4U

“… another wonderful read by Miriam Wakerly …really portrays Gypsies and Travelling people as individual characters”

Kay Green, Booksy

" … deftly using a variety of plot-devices to fill in the picture whilst maintaining page-turning momentum.

… Wakerly is remarkably good at passing the reader food for thought without ever preaching. She makes no judgemental comments as she passes…”

Michael Smith,  O NEVO DROM

“This book is one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to the reader and the story will leave the reader spellbound throughout the entire book. Miriam has put so many different angles and plots into this book that boredom just cannot ever rear its head, making this book a real page turner.”

And something extra from Love a Happy Ending
'Once I had finished Gypsies Stop tHere, I thought, "But there is much, much more to say!"'

(There are more reviews on the back cover of the paperback!!)




Hampshire Record Office 105m93-3-72

This photo was taken in the New Forest in the late 19th century and shows the kind of bender (tent) that Dunstan and his brother Presley slept in, unusual for the 1950s - 60s but you need to read the book to find out why this happened!

If you enjoy reading No Gypsies Served - don't forget to put a review up on Amazon! I shall look out for it. Many thanks.

No Gypsies Served FREE on Kindle soon!

I few weeks’ ago I drafted a blog post about free Kindle downloads, stressing the negatives, but I never published it because I sensed that this was something I might later regret. The whole publishing scene is shifting and reinventing itself on a daily basis. I felt my opinion might change – and it has!

After a lot of thought, yes, No Gypsies Served, my second novel, will be FREE for you to download 12 Oct – 16 Oct. Please tell, Tweet or email all your friends, colleagues, neighbours, family, anyone you know who reads e-books, of this special promotion. Thanks!

As I said a couple of weeks ago in The Changing Face of Waterstones,  ‘Waterstones is selling Kindle e-readers to its customers, with the idea that customers can browse books in their shops – the touchy feely version – and then if they want an ebook version they can download it while in the shop. Whether this will work or not, for them, as a profitable venture will remain to be seen. I guess they feel people are doing this anyway, and if they can be part of the experience so much the better. In other words, if you can’t beat them, join them!’  That is a bit how I feel!

This is a shortened version – it looks at the parallels with the music industry to see if authors and publishers can learn from this.

There is divided opinion among authors I know, through Famous Five Plus and  Love a Happy Ending, on the pros and cons of offering their books for free. This is a marketing strategy of Amazon’s KDP Select (Kindle Direct Publishing). They suggest that in the 90 days when you forego offering your work on any other ebook platform, you also offer your book as a free download for up to 5 days. It will get your book known, being read by many more readers, who may give some good reviews; it can gain visibility in the free charts; and it could ultimately lead to an increase in real sales after the special offer expires. Kindle’s strategy may also include giving a wider market a powerful incentive to buy the e-reader device. The question is, is this a good idea for authors? Although it may seem like a wonderful idea for readers, does it offer a rich and broad spectrum of daring books that traditional publishers may have seen as high-risk, or open up a plethora of mediocre books?

Personally, I felt doubtful about the whole thing. I had worked hard to produce my three novels! Now, was I expected to just give them away for nothing?!

I spoke to Andy Malt, Editor of music business website CMU (http://www.theCMUwebsite.com). Over the last decade he has seen the music industry going through many changes similar to those happening now in book publishing.

How does free downloading work with music? What have been the key changes in the music industry in the last 8 - 10 years that we, in the book world, can learn from?

Well, illegal downloading took off at the turn of the century and has continued to boom ever since, but that's a massive topic to cover in itself, and not what we're really talking about here, so I'll concentrate on legitimately offered downloads.

There's no hard and fast rule for how it works, but there are three main ways of doing it. Either just giving away the single tracks completely for free, giving away single tracks in exchange for an email address, or giving away a complete album and then trying to drive people to buy limited edition physical copies. These tend to suit artists at different stages in their career. These strategies have taken a long time to develop properly and as ebooks begin to take off there is much the publishing industry can learn from what the music industry has been through (and much beyond giving things away for free). But the ultimate question when you give something away for free is: How will this help me achieve what I want to achieve?

With the benefit of hindsight, do you think any artists may have regretted giving their music away? Or, conversely, has it worked miracles for them?

The answer is yes to both. Many think that the prevalence of free music online has devalued it to a point where people don't really care about it any more. Conversely, many see it as levelling the playing field for artists, because the internet provides everyone with easy distribution tools, removing many of the barriers that previously existed in reaching potential fans. People are able to listen to a far broader range of music from all over the world now because the access is so much greater. But that of course means the competition for your ears (or in the case of books, eyes) is also much greater.

Is it a question of short term gain, maybe not so good in the long-term?

No, I think it's the opposite. In order for all of these things to pay off you have to think in the long term. Early in an artist's career, giving music away can help them to get their name known. The hope would be that they have a long and successful enough career to earn a good living later. Those early fans will always be important, because they're the people who will evangelise for you as you rise up the ranks.

As I said before, the question you need to ask is 'How will this help me achieve what I want to achieve?'. If you want to have a long term career and make music or write books for the rest of your life, then foregoing financial gain in the short term (which is far from assured, anyway) may ultimately be what pushes you towards that goal.

Are there differences between the UK and US? Are they ahead of the game in the US, do you think?
Europe was ahead of the US in terms of adoption and acceptance of digital music at one stage (in terms of the industry - the fans have been on it for a long time), but that has changed more recently. There's still a resistance to it from some quarters, but I think we've reached a point now where the music industry knows that the internet isn't going to go away. The fans are going to get what they want, so resistance is counterproductive.

Thanks Andy!’

 

It’s all pretty experimental in the e-publishing world at the moment which makes it both fascinating and exciting.

So - if you would like something for nothing, then please download here in a few days’ time!  (Friday 12 Oct - Tuesday 16 Oct) Remember you can read Kindle books on your PC, Mac or iPad, if you don’t have a Kindle, so long as you have the right software or App.

Some reviews of No Gypsies Served

Many FIVE STARS here on  Amazon 

A few interesting insights into No Gypsies Served, by Scarlett de Courcier,  Bohemiacademia

“I'd recommend them as essential reading to anyone; I think they should be in every local library, preferably on the 'recommended' shelf, “

Her No 2 Choice of 13 Top Books of 2010

“ … if I'm going on just how much I was impressed by a book, and how important it is to society at the moment, Wakerly's two novels have to take joint second place. 

Really, really beautifully written.”

Louise Graham,  Lou Graham's Blog 

“Miriam has really helped me understand the Gypsy community a little bit better with some compassion.”

Nikki Bywater, Books 4U

“… another wonderful read by Miriam Wakerly  …really portrays Gypsies and Travelling people as individual characters”

Kay Green, Booksy

" … deftly using a variety of plot-devices to fill in the picture whilst maintaining page-turning momentum.

… Wakerly is remarkably good at passing the reader food for thought without ever preaching. She makes no judgemental comments as she passes …”

 

Michael Smith,   O NEVO DROM

“This book is one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to the reader and the story will leave the reader spellbound throughout the entire book. Miriam has put so many different angles and plots into this book that boredom just cannot ever rear its head, making this book a real page turner.”

And something extra from  Love a Happy Ending See a wonderful photo here - and why!!

"No Gypsies Served picks up the story of Gypsies Stop tHere two years on, in Appley Green; so it is a sequel but, as it goes back in time, it is also the prequel. You could read No Gypsies Served first if you prefer because they also stand alone as stories."

 

I Wrote it My Way - Janice Horton

You may remember (it was less than a couple of weeks ago!) that I invited Darlene Jones to tell us how she decided on her chosen genre. It was fascinating to hear what inspired her. Now I am delighted to welcome my second guest! Come on in, lovely Janice Horton!

I met Janice at the Summer Audience, Love a Happy Ending eventheld in Tetbury. She lives in Scotland and, interestingly, was previously traditionally published but now writes as an Indie.

As described in her Author Bio, she 'writes Scottish set romantic novels with humour and heart.' This sounds like a special sub-genre! Rom-com but has to be Scottish!  Her new book 'How Do You Voodoo' does not actually sound at all Scottish, but you may have heard of her Kindle bestselling ebooks 'Bagpipes & Bullshot' and 'Reaching for the Stars'. I read the first and it certainly made me chuckle. You can tell from the title that this is going to be humorous as well as romantic, and it surely is.

Janice tells how she was drawn to write this kind of book.

'My favourite books have always been upbeat contemporary romance stories about love, life, and adventure. I want to escape into a book and to be whisked away to a place where amazing things can happen and love can always be found. Humour is such an important part of life that it is also an essential ingredient in the kind of books I love to read and in those I write. I enjoy reading about people and situations larger than life so you will always find interesting and eccentric characters in my novels too. The ideas for my stories are usually sparked by something that has happened in real life that has the effect of putting my imagination into overdrive!

My romantic and magical novella How Do You Voodoo? is being launched in October and is a fun contemporary story. It’s about a beautiful but lonely and loveless young woman, a top model, who starts to think being beautiful is a curse. But after a ‘spat’ with another passenger on a flight back from the Caribbean, after which her looks immediately begin to fade, she starts to believe she really has been cursed! How Do You Voodoo? is being launched on Friday 26th October. See my blog for more on how to take part in The Spellbindingly Fun Blog Party to celebrate the launch!'

Find out more about Janice and her novels:

Author Blog: http://www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter: @JaniceHorton
Like her Author Facebook Page
Featured Author & Associate Editor at: Loveahappyending.com

Link to her ebooks on Amazon.co.uk

Link to her ebooks on Amazon.com

 

Thank you Janice. I wonder who will be my next author visitor and what kind of book they write - and why?

The Changing Face of Waterstones

For years Waterstones has been very supportive of its local authors. What is happening now?

There are changes going on! Waterstones is selling Kindle e-readers to its customers, with the idea of customers browsing  books in their shops – the touchy feely version, as normal – and then if they want an ebook version they can download it on the premises. How this will work for them, as a profitable venture will remain to be seen. I guess they feel people are doing this anyway, and if they can be part of the experience so much the better. In other words, if you can’t beat them, join them!

More to the point here, Waterstones shops are cutting back on their author signing events. All the booksellers I have spoken to about this across a number of branches, are pretty upset by this initiative from their newish CEO James Daunt but feel helpless to express their opinion. For a variety of reasons, they see author visits as good for business.  As I understand it, the focus will be on very well-known authors (including celebrities who happen to have brought out a book) giving talks ‘out of hours’ in the evening.  The hope is for queues of people lining the pavements, as in days of old. This idea will make it more difficult for new writers to become ‘established’. Come on bookshops! Surely you can’t expect publishers and authors to do all the promotional work for you!!

Waterstones launch book signing
 of first novel, Gypsies Stop tHere 2008

I have done 3 book launches and over 30 book signings in Waterstones since 2008, when I first launched Gypsies Stop tHere (as well as Borders and events).

They can be hard work, but I thoroughly enjoy doing them (not all authors do), have met people from all walks of life and had stimulating discussions at my little table of books. People have waved goodbye smilingly as they went out of the shop with a signed copy of my book(s), like old friends.

In The Author, the Society of Authors quarterly magazine, I read:  “In August, The Bookseller reported that Waterstones might be getting cold feet about hosting author events in its stores. The root of the problem seems to be some individual writers, uninvited, over-zealously promoting their books to customers in Waterstones shops …"  It would seem that “inappapropiate activities of a few” have spoilt it for the rest of us  - who do not appear to have overcooked things. Indeed I have heard of one writer who is particularly forthcoming – the culprit shall remain anonymous; very diplomatically, booksellers can never recall his name, but from the descriptions I am sure he is the same one. I completely  understand that customers do not want to be accosted; there is a gentle way of doing things, but simple guidelines could be suggested and the situation easily ‘policed’ by the booksellers.

Launch of Shades of Appley Green 2012

I am not sure what the future holds for authors – one branch manager has already said that my visit was their last one of the ‘old signing events’ but  they hope to arrange something else with me soon; so I hope this indicates that all is not lost! Meanwhile, inevitably, much as I value the strong relationship I have built over the years with Waterstones, (with all my books stocked by their wholesaler so they get a discount on a par with mainstream publishers), perhaps I shall need to switch my focus to smaller booksellers and ebooks. Many other authors must be in the same boat and I would love to hear from you.

http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch   

I will keep you posted and if anyone has any further info or thoughts on the subject, please do leave a comment – as a writer, a reader, a bookshop or a Waterstones bookseller!


Will this be the last?