Sue Fortin: Behind 'The Girl...'

Today, we speak to author, Sue Fortin, who writes romance, mystery and suspense for Harper Collins' imprint, Harper Impulse.

2015 saw a real spike in the word ‘Girl’ being used and, for me, I always think of Stig Larsen books as the forerunner for the trend, with Gillian Flynn following up closely behind. So,

when my publishers said they wanted to call my new novel The Girl Who Lied, my knee-jerk reaction was Really? Hasn’t it been overdone? There are so many ‘Girl’ books out there, did the publishing world really need another one?

My initial reaction was fueled by a debate I had followed on social media where some people positively hated the word ‘girl’ used when clearly the book was about a woman. For some, girl could only refer to a child or, at a push, young adult.

After the email suggesting The Girl Who Lied, I spent the next seven days bombarding my editor with every alternative I could think of. I was like some mad woman possessed, hounding my friends and family for different suggestions. My agent wasn’t spared either and it was, in fact, her reassurance that began to sway me. Indeed, there had even been a recent article about ‘The Girl’ titles, see HERE.

Broadly speaking, when readers see ‘The Girl …’ in the title, it is a clear indication of what to expect. (i) A strong female character (ii) an ordinary woman in an extraordinary situation (iii) a darker read (iii) mystery and suspense.

Slowly, I began to have a change of heart as my book ticked all of the above. It is full of lies, the characters all tell lies, even though they believe it’s for the right reasons. My main character, Erin, was a teenager when she first lied, so perhaps the title was even more suitable than I first thought.

I was finally convinced when I spoke to several other authors, who, without exception, said to run with it and trust the marketing team’s experience. So, that’s exactly what I’ve done and am now totally on-board with the title. Just as an aside, I’ve seen ‘The Woman …’ being used a lot, so perhaps that’s the next trend on the horizon.

About Sue:

Sue Fortin's originally published debut novel was awarded the INDIE Brag medallion and later when published by HarperImpulse was short-listed for the Joan Hessayon Award (2014). Sue was also short-listed for the Festival of Romance, New Talent Award (2013). Her second novel, Closing In, reached number one in the Romantic Suspense Kobo chart at the end of 2014. Sue blogs regularly with the online writing group, The Romaniacs

Lover of cake, dragonflies and France, hater of calories, maths and snakes, Sue was born in Hertfordshire, but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex.

Sue is married with four children, all of whom patiently give her time to write, but, when not behind the keyboard, she likes to spend her time with them, enjoying both the coast and the South Downs, between which they are nestled.

Links:

Facebook Sue Fortin Author

Twitter @suefortin1

Website & Blog www.suefortin.com

Amazon Author Page

Thanks you, Sue, and good luck with your book. 

This blog piece is brought to you by Louisa Heaton on behalf of 'The RNA Blogging Team' 
If you would like to be interviewed for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Sue Fortin: Writing Retreat Alternatives

We are thrilled to welcome Sue to the blog today. Both of us love attending writing retreats and enjoy one day retreats as well as our weeks away to the Kent coast with fellow writers, where we drink wine, write and drink wine…  

Over to you, Sue.

Many a time I’ve clicked the ‘like’ button on someone’s Facebook status which says something along the lines of ‘Off to Devon for a writing retreat.’ or ‘Just back from a great writing retreat weekend.’ or ‘Can’t wait to meet up with the lovely [insert author’s name] for a writing retreat’. You may have

detected the common theme here of a writing retreat. Yes, I’d love to go on one and have wished it were me making those sort of status updates. Alas, family commitments, time and money all thoughtfully merging together to make it possible, is a rarity, if not an impossibility, for me.

However, it got me thinking of some possible alternatives to try instead.

Micro Retreat

Change in writing space – sometimes when I’m under a deadline or a bit distracted or have a specific goal for the day, I move from my desk and take my laptop to the dining table. It’s a very small difference in physical space but it can make a lot of difference in head space. It’s surprising how this small change can have a big impact.

Mini Retreat

Phone a friend, a relative, a neighbour – see if you can commandeer their spare room/table/study/office for a couple of hours or, better still, a whole day. When I visit my mum, I like to sit up in her spare bedroom which she has set up as an office. Like the Micro Retreat, it’s the change in space that helps. I can be away from distractions there, I don’t have to answer the house phone, the door or even have any housework calling me.

Day Retreat

Get together with some local writers and hire a village hall for the day. You could all bring a picnic lunch or something towards a group picnic, then allocate a table each and spend as much or as little of your day writing. Break it up nicely with said picnic. Set a word count or some sort of goal and then, at the end of the day or session, compare notes on how well you did.

Friends Retreat

Hire a cottage for the weekend with some friends. At off-peak times of the year, you can get accommodation at very reasonable rates. You could even just hire a mobile home or a lodge at a holiday park for a long weekend. You can set your own pace and goals between you. Or if you want to save some costs, maybe one of the group can put everyone up for a couple of nights. Everyone can chip in with food and drink to help keep costs down. In fact, I did this last year with The Romaniacs. We had a mini Sparkle weekend at Debbie Fuller-White’s in Shropshire. It was great fun and we did actually get some writing done. We enjoyed it so much, we’re doing it all again this year.

It’s an ambition of mine to hold a writing retreat over in France, where we have a second home, and it was this notion that inspired me to write my novella The French Retreat.

Links:

Amazon.co.uk   

 www.suefortin.co.uk

Sue, we love your ideas and France sounds ideal! Good luck with your book.


The RNA blog is brought to you by,

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Oh I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside!

Today we are delighted to welcome Celia J Anderson

Celia spends most of her spare time writing in as many different genres as possible, including children’s fiction. She also loves teaching drama and literature (now comfortingly called English again but still the best subject in the world.)

With two grown up daughters who have defected to the seaside, Celia’s future plan is to scoop up husband and cats and join them there. Her aim is a writing room with a sea view.

Have you always been or wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always written for fun, but a fantastic creative writing module in 1996 - part of my training to be a teacher - sowed the seeds of something more, and my first novel began to take shape. That one never made it (fortunately for the book world) but it’s actually the prequel to the new one, Little Boxes so the ten year writing process wasn’t wasted!

You graduated from the NWS last year with Sweet Proposal. We’d love to hear about the lead up to, and your involvement in the Joan Hessayan Award Ceremony.

The first time I went to an RNA summer party the Joan Hessayon award was being presented, and it became my dream to be in that line up. The invitation to be there, via email, was a proud moment, especially as two of my best writing buddies/fellow Romaniacs, Laura E James and Sue Fortin were going to be up there too. There were lots of blog interviews beforehand and an article in the local press - it was a fabulous occasion with fizz provided by Joan’s lovely husband and a wonderfully uncompetitive feeling for an event of this sort!

Can you tell us something about your working life before?

It’s more of a now than a before - my last year’s plan was to scale down my teaching workload to give extra writing time but then circumstances changed and I was given the job of assistant head, which is great fun but extremely full-on. It’s a bit of a juggling act to find time to write. Luckily, I wake up early. Strong coffee helps a lot

You’re a member of the Romaniacs Blogging team. How did you all get together?

Meeting the Romaniacs has been the single most significant moment in my writing life so far. Most of us got together at the first Festival of Romance in 2011 - we knew from the start that our friendship was something very special and when the other two joined us shortly afterwards, the die was cast and we very soon began blogging together. These ladies are my writing mainstay, brilliant critique partners, honest sounding boards, but most of all a source of support and ridiculous humour at any time of the day or night. We find it hard to all be in one place at once due to families, work etc. but when we do manage it, the wine and cake intake is legendary.

How do relax when not working?

I cook, eat and drink too much, go for long walks, (in the Derbyshire countryside, by the sea or on the Quantocks whenever possible) and socialise with my family and friends. Oh, and have lovely long naps. And read and read and read and read.

‘Little Boxes’ is released today. What can you tell us about it?

It’s a story of Molly’s quest to confront the secrets of her past and to begin to move on. The clues for her journey arrive at random times through the post in little boxes, each one designed to make Molly dig deeper into life before her husband’s death. In the process she meets the desirable and charismatic artist Tom, who has secrets and problems of his own.

What has been your experience regarding the publishing process?

My first novel, Sweet Proposal, was published digitally in August 2013 by Piatkus Entice, following a competition win at the 2012 Festival of Romance. The whole process was fascinating, especially the editing - I learned a lot, particularly from Caroline Kirkpatrick. This time I’m published by Tirgearr and it’s been equally interesting. They are so easy to work with - cooperative, friendly and approachable. I’m looking forward to more of the same in the future, fingers crossed.

As no writer rests on her (or his) laurels, what is next for Celia J Anderson?

In the adult writing field, my next project is something more off-the-wall - still romance but with a twist. It’s called Living the Dream and involves mind travel. I also write for children, and my middle grade book Teacher Torture is with a publisher for consideration as we speak. Even more finger crossing.

Blogs:

http://celiajanderson.co.uk

https://theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com

Twitter: @CeliaAnderson1

Facebook Author Page: Celia J Anderson

Publisher: http://tirgearrpublishing.com

Our fingers are crossed for you too. Thank you for joining us today, Celia

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write an article or be featured on the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

RNA Conference 2012 Kitchen Report – The Romaniac Kitchen, Penrith

It was the first conference for most of The Romaniacs and with seven out of nine of us attending, we already knew we were going to have one heck of a kitchen party. We had our own karaoke backing track system, lead vocals by Laura  James, plenty of wine, several bottles of champagne and Catherine Miller brought some very special Morello Cherry homemade wine, circa 1975, courtesy of her late Grandad. Celia Anderson made some delicious cakes.  Oh, and in true student style, Lucie Wheeler provided the Super Noodles.

It could only have been better if our lovely Jan Brigden and Liz Crump had been there.

To sum up our kitchen party, we thought we’d share a page from our Visitors’ Book …

Friday, 13 July 2012

Dear Kitchen, Thank you for helping me rediscover the joy singing can bring. And also the pain. Love, Laura.

Nikki Goodman : Ah, how will I ever forget the Romaniacs’ kitchen? There was wine (some of it homemade vintage circa ’75 that threatened toxic shock syndrome), there were snacks and there was singing! Best of all was the laughter.  A kitchen beyond all compare.

What goes on in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen. Except when it’s videoed and put on Facebook and You Tube. (Laura)

They say the kitchen is always the hub of the party, and in this case, it most certainly was! (Lucie)

THIS is what Romantic Novelists look like! (Debbie White)

Jane Holland : Those three glasses of 1975 Morello Cherry homemade wine will stay with me for life.

The Romaniacs needed a good get together and what better way than to do it with friends. That and alcohol which could change the way you see the world. That’s why at the time we were all singing like angels. (Catherine)

Sue Moorcroft : That was a great night! The homemade wine from 1975 scared me a bit but when I offered to buy some ‘real’ wine, the soothing, ‘Oh, we’ve got some of that if you want it,’ made me feel like a lightweight. The Romaniacs were fantastic company, every one of them. I just hope I’m invited to their kitchen parties in the future. Xxx

We may have had a naughty kitchen, but it wasn’t dirty, having been sterilised with alcohol. (Laura)

Ever since joining the RNA, I’ve aspired to the heady heights of having one of the Naughty Kitchens at a conference.  And now, thanks to some wonderful company, a lot of alcohol and loud singing, I think I can say I’ve done it – and got the YouTube evidence to prove it. (Vanessa)

Mandy James : My accommodation was next to the Romaniacs’. How did I know? The raucous caterwauling and shrieks of laughter gave it away.

I left my quieter party and went to investigate … they wouldn’t let me leave, even though I insisted I didn’t want a drink or to sing at the top of my lungs. But eventually I had a small sherry … When in Rome-aniacs … see what I did there?

Two hours later the police came to close us down. Well, OK, a slight exaggeration, there was only one arrest. We had an amazing time and I recommend that the naughty kitchen be free on the NHS!

When I found out we were in student accommodation, I decided that I needed use this opportunity as research (I got that tip from Jane Wenham-Jones) and what better way than to fully immerse myself into student life. What a kitchen party that was. Sadly, any further attempt at emulating a student ended on Sunday - even now I am still trying to recover from the weekend. (Sue)

The kitchen party was to the Romaniacs and their guests what opium was to great authors of the past – inspirational, but painful the next day. (Celia)

A messy kitchen is the sign of a happy kitchen, and ours was delirious. (Debbie)

It was always going to be the Romaniacs’ kitchen. (Laura)

First Time Attendee Impression – Sue Fortin, NWS, One Ninth of The Romaniacs

Why hadn’t I been before?

Last year I joined the RNA under the New Writers’ Scheme and although I was kept up to date with what was happening via newsletters and Twitter, I didn’t feel totally connected. I was new to the RNA, I was new to Twitter and despite everyone being very welcoming and friendly, it was still only through social networking and I didn’t have that belonging feeling.  So when it came to book for conference last year, well, I didn’t. I mean, I wouldn’t know anyone, would I? Everyone else would know everyone else and I’d be there on my own.  I enjoy meeting people but it’s not in my nature to randomly strike up a conversation with someone I don’t know, so I didn’t go.

What changed my mind?

Afterwards when I saw everyone’s tweets, read the blogs and saw all the photos, it sounded and looked like everyone had great fun and I did wish that I had been brave enough to go. When I was on a workshop run by Sarah Duncan, both she and another writer said how warm and welcoming the RNA Conference would be and that I really should consider it for 2012.

So this year, with the back-up of my fellow Romaniacs, I took the plunge and booked my place for Penrith. 

Even before the weekend, I was made to feel very welcome, firstly, by Jan Jones through reassuring e-mails and, secondly, by the e-mails that circulated for First Time Attendees. It was comforting to know that there were actually many others in the same position.

So, what did I think of the Conference?

FAN – TAS –TIC!

All the talks I attended were brilliant. I can’t thank the speakers enough for the hard work and effort they had clearly put into their presentations – the advice invaluable.  Talli Roland’s talk was excellent, lots of tips for getting internet savvy. Nell Dixon’s talk was equally beneficially – the dreaded editing process, which now I perhaps won’t fear quite so much.  What can I say about Jane Wenham-Jones’ 9 a.m. Sunday morning slot? Laughter is certainly the best medicine for a slightly fragile head.

I had two 1-2-1 appointments with editors, which although daunting, turned out to be very relaxed affairs yet still maintaining a professional air.  Something else I worried far too much about.

Not only did the talks and presentations all live up to and beyond my expectations, but the social side was brilliant too. It was lovely to see so many people I had met in the past year at the RNA winter and summer parties, plus friends I had made through Twitter and Facebook.  The whole conference had a lovely re-union feel about it. 

What did I get out of Conference?

1.       Excellent advice

2.       Opportunity of 1-2-1 meetings with editors

3.       Friendship

4.       New laughter lines

Will I go again?

Most definitely.