Showing posts with label MuseItUp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MuseItUp. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 December 2014
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Tuesday, 4 June 2013
It's Not What You Know . . .
With much pleasure I present Scottish born, multi lingual, multi talented, multi published, the much travelled -- the funny -- the charming --
who proves: It’s not what you know …
PAMELA KELT
who proves: It’s not what you know …
Whenever I’m wrangling a new plot, the
concept of ‘write about what you know’ tends to crop up.
Sometimes, rarely (!), a book just happens. This was the case with my first book to be published, Tomorrow’s Anecdote, which is semi-autobiographical. This book had a cathartic urgency to be written. I didn’t actively decide to set a book against the backdrop of 1980s journalism. It simply appeared on my screen. I needed to get the memory of those turbulent times out of my system, and I feel better for it.
Other titles involved some planning. As a
student, I did some research for a thesis on the theory of comedy in
17th-century Spanish interludes. Obscure, but fascinating. I always knew I’d
love to work the topic into a book, and on a trip to Loch Lomond some years
ago, the character of Alexandra Milton, archivist, popped into my head. Dark Interlude, my forthcoming
title with Muse, was great fun re-researching, and fans of authentic detail
will be happy to know I ran it past my former supervisor to make sure I hadn’t
done anything silly. He liked the blend of fact and fiction. All good.
Every so often I plunge into the new. Half Life, inspired a trip to
Tromsø, required researching into particle physics and pre-war Nazis. I do like
a challenge, but of course, I cheated. My professor husband is an expert in
both. I warmed to the concept of using an in-house consultant. After all, I’m
finally going to run out of topics with which I am conversant, surely?
Inspired by family holiday to Montenegro, I
got it into my head to write a fantasy series. I do read a good deal of already
(such as the Edge Chronicles, for example), but I’d never tried my hand at
writing for this audience myself. After fierce scribbling, I came up with Legends of Liria and the main
thrust of the story, partially based on the country’s melodramatic past. A
desperate bid to outwit the dastardly Kurova Grax and her evil dynasty.
The film ‘Prince of Persia’ was all the
rage at the time, and I decided to redress the balance, and have not one, but
two strong female leads. The prince is agile and athletic – an expert in parkour (nicknamed PK!) – so
what would the girls do? My daughter provided the answer. For many years, she
attended a local theatre group called the Dream Factory where she specialised
in aerial skills.
In addition, the advanced workshops did
spinning fire poi, flags, quickfire skipping from Double Dutch to … well, you
get the drift.
Again, I needed to bring in the expertise.
I can’t climb a rope without giggling. I dangle at the bottom, spinning in
slow, embarrassing circles. In fact, I’ve no incentive to climb, for I have no
head for heights. I did a little bit of gymnastics at school, but the PE
teachers banned us. Ridiculous, I know. In their minds, one did hockey or
nothing. In fact, I hid in the cloakrooms doing my Latin homework, but that’s
another story.
Back in Liria, Svila is queen of the air, while the younger Petra is dextrous –
fire poi, juggling, sleight of hand, diabolo … They are entertaining to write about – for between them, they can do just about anything, and with style. It seems plausible to me that with their talents, they can outwit the most dastardly enemy.
So, yes. I admit my knowledge of such skills is vicarious, but I do know something of the practicalities because I was one of the many volunteer parents at Dream Factory productions. We had quite a checklist: ice packs for sprains, giant plasters for silk burns, kitchen towels for nose bleeds (I wasn’t keen on those), liquid bandaid for cuts, tape for twisted fingers. On top of the first-aid, we also had to think quickly to fix hairdos that collapsed when the performer was upside-down, find safety pins to repair costumes that got ripped and tangled in the trapeze, ensure the younger ones didn’t sneak in chewy sweets or fizzy drinks … All great fun.
But at end of the day, I have never climbed
a silk. But I have to admit, it was enlightening to interrogate daughter for
every last detail. How do you create a footlock? What do you do if you feel
yourself slipping? How much upper body strength do you really need? Why does it
help to have strong hands? Why are oversplits better? Is flexibility a good
thing?
So, Legends of Liria began to take shape,
and my two heroines explore new challenges in each title, hopefully with a
level of realism that will make the journey so much more exciting for younger
readers.
Conclusion? It’s not what you know, but who you know.
Other friends and family members take note. For the next book, I might need your help … You know I won’t be afraid to ask.
Follow Pam on Twitter and Facebook.
Find out all the latest on her author
website and blog. Or why not
send her and email ?
Check out author pages on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Goodreads and Smashwords.
Check out author pages on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Goodreads and Smashwords.
Tomorrow's
Anecdote – Now out on
Crooked Cat
Dark Interlude – out 21 June 2013 MuseItUp
Ice Trekker – out September 2013 MuseItUp
The Lost Orchid – out soon Bluewood
Publishing
Friday, 26 April 2013
The Magnetism of Arthurian Legend
Cheryl Carpinello
who is fascinated by the Legends of King Arthur and his Knights. So much so, Cheryl adds to them with wonderful award winning legends of her own.
The
beginning of my fascination with Arthurian Legend started when I took an
English literature class in college and read Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Surprising since my family traces their roots
back to England and Wales on both sides of my family.
However, I
fell in love with Arthurian Legend when I read T. H. White’s The Once and Future King and included it
in my high school English curriculum. Sharing with my students the pageantry of
the tournaments and the gallantry of the knights from Malory excited a spark in
my students.
The fast
moving adventure story of Wart, the young King Arthur of White’s creation,
pulled us all into the romantic and gallant story White weaves. It is a story
steeped in all things Arthurian: the exploits of the knights of the Round
Table, heroes like King Arthur and Lancelot, and magic and Merlin.
King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table has never lost its appeal to readers. Today
when I talk about the Medieval Times with kids and adults, the talk centers
around the exploits of the knights of the Round Table, heroes like King Arthur
and Lancelot, and magic and Merlin. The stories of the knights with their
quests, their jousts, their rescuing of the damsels in distress, and their fighting
for the underdog dominate the conversation. Never mind that in real life,
knights weren’t always so gallant, and frequently only defended the underdog if
he belong to the same or a higher social class.
The King
Arthur legend has outgrown and overshadowed any historical truth. A remarkable
feat considering that in today’s fast-paced, information-on-the-run world, a
legend reaching as far back as 1136 about a mythical king back in the 5th or
6th century shows no signs of abating. Packed into the Arthurian stories of
quests, jousts, tournaments, and battles are the cornerstones of Honor,
Loyalty, and Friendship that continue to speak to the world and particularly
the young.
 |
| Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt |
These qualities were consciously incorporated in Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom. The Young Knights have become friends via their friendship with a beggar/vagabond called the Wild Man. Without the Wild Man, it is likely that they wouldn’t have met and become friends because they are from very different backgrounds. Eleven-year-old Gavin is the youngest prince of Pembroke Castle in southern Wales. Fifteen-year-old Bryan has been sent to Pembroke by his parents to learn to be a blacksmith. Thirteen-year-old Philip is an orphan who wandered into Pembroke village and lives and works at the church.
 |
| Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.' Pembroke Castle, Wales |
In the
story, someone breaks into the king’s (Gavin’s father) treasury in Pembroke
Castle and not only steals the medallion The King’s Ransom, but also kills the
king’s advisor. The Wild Man is captured and charged with the crime. Belief in
their friend’s innocence spurs the trio to swear a knight’s oath of loyalty to
the Wild Man and embark upon a quest to save him. Their individual quests test
their limits and force each to confront and conquer their fears or face
humiliation and/or even death. Honor. Loyalty, Friendship.
 |
| Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.' Cardigan Bay, Wales |
Young Knights of the Round
Table: The King’s Ransom
2012 Silver Award recipient for YA
Fiction from Children’s Literary Classics
2012 Children’s Literary Classics Seal of
Approval
2012 USA Best Book Awards Finalist for
E-Book Children
In medieval Wales,
eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and
fifteen-year-old blacksmith's apprentice Bryan are brought together in
friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed
and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king’s treasury, the Wild Man is
accused of the theft and murder.
Filled with disbelief at the arrest of
the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight’s quest to save their
friend’s life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and
insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all.
Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest
and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his
Knights of the Round Table.
Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble
Blog:
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
A Touch of History and the Paranormal
I'm thrilled to be chatting with a paranormal author today. Or should that be 'with an author of paranormal stories'?
V L MURRAY
Thanks Wendy, it’s really nice to be here.
I enjoyed A Hallowe'en Tale. This is a very
entertaining short story with which teens will identify. In fact, your story
revived a particular childhood memory for me. I relived the night a friend and
I crept out of bed to peer through the window of a deserted house a few streets
away. Jumping at shadows, we scared ourselves silly and didn't achieve our
objective. Your teenagers did, however, and what a tale they have to tell!
Glad you liked it and that’s wonderful it stimulated you
to remember something supernatural from your own past.
I had the impression that Olivia's mother wanted Olivia to
get a glimpse of her history, and that's why she warned her not to go to
the party via the old lane, knowing Olivia would disobey. Am I right?
Oh yes. How many kids do you know that when you tell them
not to do something they immediately do it. Yes, Cantare knew her
daughter well and in telling her what not to do, she pretty much
guaranteed the outcome.
How much of your inner child is in Olivia? Were you
headstrong and stubborn?
Yup, I think I was a real pain in the butt for my mom. I
was unbelievably stubborn and headstrong, but hey, if your kids aren’t, they
end up getting bullied and other things, so I think there is something to be said
for these characteristics.
My dad used to tell us almost everyday that
ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are sheep, and he’d say, “Where
do you fit in? What are you going to be?”
Made me think and that was probably
one of the reasons why I did what I believed in and questioned things. That is
what Olivia is doing in the story. She’s stepping up to the challenge, facing
her fears and finding out the truth. Just think what the world would be like if
we all did those things.
However, it is also nice when children obey their
parents and listen to them. Parents have more of life under their belt and kids
usually don’t really understand that until they, too, are grown up.
Was there 'an old lane leading through the back fields' in
your youth?
Actually, I lived right across the street from a forest
and when I was young, the fields to the north were totally wild and free, as
well. There were partridges running around and we played games trying to touch
their tails before they took off. I don’t remember anyone actually achieving
that goal. I spent much of my youth running in the woods and knew every turn
and nook and cranny of the forest. There are spooky things in there that
sometimes jar you a little. But I survived. LOL.
We had to drive to get to the more historic things, but
my parents were big history fans and so they took us to old buildings and
museums and any archaeological sites that were around. I had my share of
adventures. The Royal Ontario Museum was in Toronto, an hour away, and they had
a huge Egyptian section with mummies and all sorts of cool things. Very
stimulating for a young mind.
The mother's rocking and humming unnerved me. It served as a
good means to build tension and suspense. The mother held all of the story
elements together. Was this your intention?
Oh yeah. I’m glad it was effective. You never know unless
someone else tells you. Cantare is a special person who can call in the
supernatural world to help her. Sound is the means of creation for all beings,
both in the heavenlies and on earth. Most people just don’t realize it. Cantare
was creating the scenario for her daughter so that she would understand the
seriousness of what had happened in the past and forget about the idea of the
celebrity of it all.
The description of the fancy dress costumes seemed too real
to have come from your imagination alone, in particular the one Giles designed
for Jared. Without giving too much away, can you tell us if this was a costume
you were familiar with in real life?
Actually almost all of it came out of my mind. I
envisioned the headless horseman in Johnny Depp’s movie—which is still a
favourite—to give Jared something really funky. And of course the modern teen
would wear a black T shirt with a skull on it, what else? With Giles, I was
thinking period costume with a little bit of English riding habit thrown in.
Very noble. Perhaps the prince in Sleeping Beauty was coming through.
I particularly liked Olivia's costume. What a wonderful
idea. It warmed my heart.
Did this have some basis in truth?
The outfit that Olivia wore was something I would wear,
especially the turban. I love turbans,
as you can tell by my author’s picture. I love pink peonies and shawls and
moccasins—I spent years wearing only moccasins—so, she was definitely in the
costume I would have worn.
In one five star review, the reviewer commented that A Hallowe'en Tale 'contains far more than meets the eye'. Can you explain this multi layering? Would you say a teenage reader would pick this up or be satisfied with the adventure in the story?
Yes, there are quite a few layers to the tale. We have
the simple Hallowe’en Party and friends going out for fun. We have a teenage
girl who is trying to make herself feel a little more important by making sure
her friends know that her family had a link to the place where they were going.
We have a history lesson about something that happened in our past.
There were real people hurt in the witch trials that occurred all over the world for varying reasons. In the Wiccan world those events are referred to as the Women’s Holocaust, even though many men were killed as well. Then finally we have a paranormal event which leaves everyone thinking and scratching their heads.
 |
| Artist F.T. Merrill 1886 |
This illustration depicts the execution of Ann Hibbins on
Boston Common in 1656.
There were real people hurt in the witch trials that occurred all over the world for varying reasons. In the Wiccan world those events are referred to as the Women’s Holocaust, even though many men were killed as well. Then finally we have a paranormal event which leaves everyone thinking and scratching their heads.
To answer the second part of
the question: I think most teens would get the layers, not necessarily
consciously unless they were pointed out.
Do you call on your own memory when writing stories, or are
they mainly pure fiction?
They are always a mix of fiction and reality. They say the best way to write convincing fiction is to pull it out of your own life and make it unrecognizable. I like to come up with characters who have connections to my world, whether past or present, plus I like to create people and scenarios that I wish were real.
I think that’s how the future sometimes comes about. If
we look at some of the great sci-fi authors we see our present in their
writings from the past. So who’s to say what a writer can do if they are
convincing enough.
That is also a reason why all writer’s need to be
cautious with their tales. What we write as thrilling or scary or a perfect
murder, can be fuel for someone else’s actions. I was involved with Law
Enforcement years ago, and you see scenarios acted out daily which have come
directly from fictional sources or the publication of real events that are
often horrific. When the abnormal mind gets stimulated by these kinds of
things, it can get pretty hair-raising, so we as writers have an obligation to
censor ourselves sometimes for the good of the general population.
I’m probably in the minority with that belief. Most
people think they should tell all and the public has a right to know, but I
taught kids for almost thirty years and most kids and adults, can’t handle the
truth. It can be quite traumatizing. If I had seen what the teens in my story
saw, I would have been terrified and there is no way I would have done what
Olivia did. I would have turned the other way and said, “See you.” Maybe later
I might have wished I’d checked it out, but I am not traditionally one of those
people who goes into a dark alley without lots of back-up. LOL
You say form and punctuation are just other ways to make
words sing. How do you bring out the music in your writing?
It’s the way you put it on the page. Every punctuation mark has a sound with it. If you put in a comma, you hesitate slightly but the pitch stays at the same level. If you put in a period, you stop, but your voice falls. A question mark makes you raise your voice and an em dash also makes your voice go up but in a different way. There is a hesitation that lifts and then makes you fall into the next word, like you just came over the other side of a hill and you are now on the way down. Italics on a single word add emphasis so you automatically say the word a little louder.
Separating a single sentence or a couple of words into a
paragraph all by themselves, really makes you stop. It headlines the
presentation. So format can be intrinsic to your scenario as well.
I always read everything out loud, both my own writing
and the manuscripts that I get to edit. There is a certain rhythm that needs to
be in a sentence. And when you end a work, it is really important that the
music of the words also brings you to a close. Writing an ending of a story is
like writing the end of a sermon. If the preacher doesn’t get it right,
everyone just sits there and looks around the room like they’re saying, “Hmmm,
what do we do now?”
A good ending will bring you to your feet with cheers, or
make you cry, or at least stop and stare off into space. All that is done with
the sound of the words and how they are connected or brought to a close.
As an editor with MuseItUp publishing, you must read many
stories with your editorial eye. Do you have trouble turning off your inner
editor when writing your own first drafts?
Yes, and thank God for that. The last thing I want to do
is turn it off in that situation. It makes me constantly check myself so my own
editor doesn’t want to kill me.
Where the desire to edit drives me nuts the most, is when
I am reading a newspaper or watching a movie or TV with the captions on. Then I
am in real trouble because I see every error and can’t concentrate on the task
at hand. I try to remember that most captions are probably done with Dragon
Speaking Naturally and so that is why they sometimes look like a foreign
language.
Would you like to add anything else?
Well, just that I appreciate the chance to come aboard
and chat. It’s been fun. Thanks so much for the opportunity to talk more about
the story, certainly the historical aspect of it.
There’s an amazing series of three films that the National Film Board of Canada made on this topic. One is called The Burning Times. You can watch it for free on the site. Just google it. It is really amazing and enlightening. You will be shocked and saddened by what you see.
There’s an amazing series of three films that the National Film Board of Canada made on this topic. One is called The Burning Times. You can watch it for free on the site. Just google it. It is really amazing and enlightening. You will be shocked and saddened by what you see.
Amazon.ca
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Top 10 in Omnilit for Happiness Guaranteed
I'm so excited - 'Happiness Guaranteed' has reached the Top 10 in Omnilit Best Sellers. I can't believe it! At the time of posting it is also No 1 in Best Selling Short Stories ebooks and No 1 in Highest Rated Short Stories ebook. I have to thank Lea Schizas MuseItUp Publisher, my editors Anne Duguid and Nancy Rafter Bell for their wonderful input and Tiger Matthews, cover designer, for this captivating cover.
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