Tag Archives: #amwriting

Happy First Birthday, Book Baby

Posted on April 13, 2016 | 1 comment

“Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Book Baby

Happy Birthday to you!”

 Trendy girl first birthday cake with first birthday cupcakes pictures

Scary to believe but my Book Baby aka Stronger Within celebrates its first birthday this Friday, 15th April. Can it really be a whole year since I unleashed it on an unsuspecting world?

Apparently it is and what a year it’s been!

As I realised that this anniversary was approaching, I began to reflect on the last twelve months. It’s been a creative roller coaster ride!

If I’m being totally honest, it still all feels surreal and I don’t know if it will ever really sink in that I’ve actually made one of my lifelong dreams come true not once but twice in twelve short months.

As a little girl, I was always writing stories and plays and dreaming of growing up to be a writer. I’d use my pocket money to buy a new notebook and pen then come home and curl up in corner to write. (not much has changed there- I’m still usually in a corner of the house!) Some of these stories were written. Others were barely started.

An English teacher at school almost put me off writing forever but, after reassurance from another teacher, I picked up my notebook and pen again. For several years, as a teenager, I wrote furiously, filling notebook after notebook with a family saga that spanned three generations of strong female role models. Looking back, the first incarnation of Jake Power is probably lurking among those pages. (I still have all of those reporter notebooks in the wardrobe. Who knows, maybe someday in the future I may re-visit that first “book”)

In some ways not a lot has changed over the years in my approach to writing. My handwriting has got a hell of a lot worse, I’ll say that much! As I’ve said before, I can write faster than I can type so all first drafts, blogs, music reviews included are handwritten.

I remember deciding to start Book Baby partly on a whim but the time felt right to bring the characters that had been living in my imagination to life. In true Coral fashion, I bought a couple of new A4 notebooks and some colourful pens. Those first few words were penned sitting on my front doorstep in the early evening sun on 8 May 2013. And, as time went by over the weeks and months, the words continued to flow.

By the time Book Baby aka Stronger Within was published last April, Book Baby 2  aka Impossible Depths had also been written in its first raw, naked state. (Yes, that required more new notebooks and pens. If I’m honest, one is written in pink notebooks, the other in blue so I guess you could say one’s a boy and the other’s a girl!)

Something I’ve not revealed before is that Book Baby 3 was already a work in progress this time last year. One pivotal scene from it was actually written in Dec 2013 but I began the main body of the tale in June 2014. All hasn’t run smoothly with this third book baby. It’s been a stop-start/love-hate affair ever since…until recently.

I’ve made some major changes to it, re-written some parts and I’m now feeling the love for it again. Perhaps It’s suffered a little from “third child syndrome” but I’ve collected my thoughts, given it some much needed TLC and am now working hard to nurture it to its final chapter. (Don’t get too excited! It won’t be ready for publication until 2017 at some point.)

I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself at this point in time. (I still work full time, write two blogs, admin two rock star fan pages and run a family.) I want to enjoy writing Book Baby 3 as, at this point in time, it is the last planned book in the Silver Lake series. But, hey, never say never, so who knows where my characters may lead me by the end of it.

A few days after the launch of Stronger Within, I posted a blog on here about the first few days of Book Baby Motherhood (https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/the-first-few-days-of-book-baby-motherhood) I drew up a short list of things to try to overcome about becoming a published author (eek! – I’ve finally said it out loud!)

First on the list was to stop feeling so self- conscious and allow myself to feel proud of my achievement. I’ve partly succeeded. I still feel very self-conscious and awkward when people ask me about the books. Inwardly though, I am proud of the achievement. I honestly don’t know how many copies have been sold  in either format or downloaded via Kindle giveaways or read via Kindle Unlimited. I did a rough count a while ago and it was into four figures. What makes me feel proud is the lovely feedback and reviews that the books are earning. Seeing other people love my characters as much as I do makes me feel proud. And each twinkly star makes all the long hours of typing, editing, proofreading and panic worthwhile.

Second on the list was to relax and let things take their course. Confession – I’ve failed miserably here. I can’t do relax. Fact!

Third was to re-connect with my characters and storylines. I’ve definitely re-connected with my main characters, I’ve created a few new ones and the storyline is evolving. I’m very much a “go with the flow” writer and don’t meticulously plan. I do plan the salient points of the outline but occasionally my characters detour on their journey between these. There is no paragraph or chapter plan for any of the books in the series. It’s all in my head or the odd bit is on a post it stuck in the notebook. (I suspect several writer friends have just thrown their hands up and shrieked in horror at this revelation.)

And the final challenge was to learn how to stop blushing when anyone speaks to me about the books. A physical impossibility! I am now an expert at turning 50 Shades of Red in the blink of an eye!

So all that’s left to say is a HUGE thank you to each and every one of you who have shown me your love and support of the past year. There’s a few of you that I couldn’t do this without (you all know who you are) and I’d like to add an extra thank you to these people for putting up with me. I know I must be a royal pain in the ass at times. (I hope you’re all ready for round three when the time comes though.)

So, how do I plan to celebrate Book Baby’s first birthday?

A few months after it was published someone said to me that they’d read it, quite enjoyed it but it wasn’t their kind of book. I admired their honesty. They then went on to say that by reading it, I had encouraged them to read other books. That statement alone struck a chord with me and made all the hard work worthwhile.

To celebrate Stronger Within’s first year, I’ve set up a FREE download day on 15 April on Amazon’s kindle store worldwide. Yes, the best way to celebrate it is to share it with as many people as possible. If it encourages just one person to discover the pleasure to be found in a book then it will be a very happy birthday indeed.

SW page1

( The first page of the first draft of Stronger Within)

 On Friday 15th April , Stronger Within can be downloaded for FREE via this link –

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stronger-Within-Silver-Lake-Series-ebook/dp/B00VXDSC1M?ie=UTF8&keywords=stronger%20within&qid=1460582354&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

 

Book 2 in the series, Impossible Depths, can be found here –

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ebooks-Impossible-Depths-Silver-Lake-Book-ebook/dp/B01C0GS30K/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51WJPFtx6TL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v3%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-44_OU02_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=09P4V527TV80BES9NRE9

SW & ID

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Recording in three,two, one….

Posted on April 5, 2016 | 1 comment

BBC-Scotland

 

Arriving at Pacific Quay in Glasgow early for a show and having to stand in a queue isn’t exactly out of the norm for me. However, last night was a little different. I was on the opposite side of the Clyde to normal for a start and the queue was indoors! How civilised, but then, I was visiting the BBC.

A friend and neighbour had kindly invited me to accompany her to the BBC to be part of the studio audience for the recording of a sitcom. I jumped at the chance!

Despite the fact I’ve walked/driven past the huge BBC building in Glasgow many times, I’d never actually been inside or been in a TV studio of any kind.  It was all very exciting!

Like every live entertainment event, the evening involved a degree of queuing. Eventually though, we entered the studio itself.  It was smaller than I’d imagined. The tiered seating faced three small sets. To be honest, they looked very basic but I’m sure by the time the show in question hits the small screen, the magic of TV will have transformed them.

Once the audience was seated, Glasgow stand-up comedian Des Clarke introduced himself and proceeded to teach us how to clap three different ways and then how to laugh three different ways Have you any idea how hard it is to sustain a full bellied laugh when there is nothing funny to laugh at!

So, what were we there to see being filmed?

Well, we were there to see them record an episode of Hancock’s Half Hour as part of the BBC’s Lost Sitcoms series which is due to be broadcast later this summer. The series is set to include Steptoe and Son, Till Death Do Us Part and several other classic shows from days gone by.

“But the original cast are long since dead!” I hear you cry.

Sad but true and, until we were actually seated in the studio, it hadn’t crossed my mind to ask who we were about to see perform these classic roles.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tony Hancock’s work, he was a famous comedy genius from the 1950’s and 1960’s, both on radio and in television. Probably his most famous sketch is The Blood Donor. Absolutely classic British comedy of its day.

Good, well-written comedy is truly timeless!

Tony Hancock performed over hundred episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour on radio over a seven- year period. The show was first broadcast on TV in 1956 and ran concurrently with the radio show for four short years.

The episode we were scheduled to see re-enacted was called The New Neighbour and had first been broadcast on 13 May 1957.

At that time, Tony Hancock worked closely with another British comedy legend, Sid James, most famous for his roles in the Carry On films.  This episode had also included the late, great Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques, both also famous for their roles in the Carry On films among other things.

Four big sets of shoes to be filled by present day stars!

So, who did the honours? Well, we were introduced to Katie Wix in the role of Hattie Jacques, Robin Sebastian as Kenneth Williams (I loved Kenneth Williams!), John Culshaw as Sid James and the wonderful Kevin McNally as Tony Hancock himself. (Kevin McNally is probably most famous for his role as Mr Gibbs on the Pirates of the Caribbean films but is an actor I’ve admired since I first saw him in a TV adaptation of RF Delderfield’s Diana in 1984. He was cute back then.)

The New Neighbour had two other cast members- Kevin Eldon, who filled the role previously performed by John Vere and Robbie Jack as the “new neighbour”.

So having learned how to laugh and clap, we sat back to enjoy the recording of the show.

The script writing, by Ray Galton and Alex Simpson, really was British sitcom at its finest and, as I mentioned earlier, even though this show is almost sixty years old, it was timeless. Still as funny today as back then.

Watching the actors “fluff” the occasional line or lean too far through the “glass-less” window frame provided some additional comedy moments that will never see the light of day.

Des Clarke acted as compere/continuity man throughout the whole evening and its sufficient to say “his patter’s like watter”. He did a tremendous job keeping the audience entertained between takes.

The sound engineer added to the hilarity by adding in a breaking glass sound effect if any of the actors leaned too far forward through the window frames. We were also treated to a few moments of mime against the imaginary glass.

All in all, I was surprised just how relaxed the whole affair was. As to be expected, there was a degree of repetition as scenes were repeated due to a forgotten line or at the director’s request.

Watching the cameras (or daleks as Des Clarke referred to them as) glide about was impressive.

There was a fair bit of faffing as the make-up lady touched up hair and make-up repeatedly. More so on the guys than on Katie Wix, I may add!

Start to finish, it took approximately two and a half hours to film the half hour show (They had pre-recorded the final scene as it required a different set entirely).

Like all theatrical performances, it ended with the six actors taking their bows, all of which was done with equal good humour. Robin Sebastian came across as stone mad. A really funny guy and brilliant as Kenneth Williams but there was also a glint of mischief in Kevin McNally’s eyes too as he departed.

The lights went up and we all slowly headed home, still smiling at some of the jokes and marvelling at the simplicity of the sets.

So what happened to the real life Tony Hancock? His is a sad tale. He continued to record Hancock’s Half Hour until 1961 when, as a result of concussion received in a serious car crash, he struggled to learn his lines and was forced to rely on teleprompters. He continued to appear regularly on British TV up until 1967 when ,sadly, alcoholism began to take its toll on his performance. In 1968, Australian TV network, Seven Network, contracted him to do thirteen shows as Hancock Down Under. In the end only three were recorded. Tragically, Tony Hancock committed suicide on 25 June 1968. He was only 44 years old.

Like many comedy geniuses, he was taken from his audience way too soon.

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Tony Hancock on the left and Kevin McNally in character on the right.

credits to the owners of all images used – sourced via Google

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Research – if in doubt what do you do?

Posted on March 31, 2016 | Leave a comment

If you want to find out about something you know nothing or little about, what do you do?

There’s an obvious modern day answer – you Google it.

I’ve been doing a fair bit of quite obscure research recently for Book Baby 3 and it struck me earlier – how did writers research such things pre-Google?

The world’s knowledge is quite literally at your fingertips. You don’t even need a computer- any smartphone will do. It does make us all quite lazy though.

Pre-Google ad Wiki if you wanted to research a topic, you packed up your notebook and pens and took yourself off to the local library.

Or, if you were lucky enough, maybe you knew someone with a copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I’ve always wanted a copy of it!

Regardless of the research topic, the answer back then was always found in a book of some sort.

I remember as a child helping a friend to research the history of her house. We are going back over thirty-five years here but I seem to recall the house had been part of an old school at one point in its past. Armed with our notebooks, we took ourselves off into town to the main library in search of some local reference books. Being children, we were dismissed by the librarian in the “adult” library and sent upstairs to the children’s section. Like we were going to find much in the way of local history there! Fortunately, the children’s reference section was right next to the adult reference section and we did manage to find a couple of local history books but not much.

Someone’s mum suggested that we try the other library in town, the reference library next door to the local museum. Now that one had a  scary librarian! However, she realised that we were serious about our research topic and helped us to navigate our way through the catalogue system and pointed us in the direction of some useful old local histories. She even brought out some newspaper archives for us to read through.

I can’t remember now what we found out about the house (sorry) but it was my first introduction to “real” research.

In my final year in high school, I had to undertake some historical research in support of my Latin dissertation on the Roman Emperor Caligula. I was trying to argue that he wasn’t completely insane. Again, finding information proved to be a challenge. The “standard” Roman research book of choice proved to be of little use – The Annals by Tacitus – as some of them are missing. Yes, those that surrounded the time period I needed to research. Typical! My class teacher assisted where he could by bringing me his own personal copies of some Roman histories and also by borrowing a book from The British Library (I think) for me to use for a short period of time. I loved researching and writing up that dissertation! The topic did and still does fascinate me.

Now all these years down the line research is still fun but SO much easier!

Be honest, when did you last even open a book to look something up?

It’s a bit of a standing joke in this house if, over dinner, we are discussing a topic that requires some validation or more detail, I’ll reach for the dictionary as my first port of call. A good dictionary is worth its weight in gold. There’s an incredible amount of information in a decent dictionary.

So what’s your favourite research tool these days?

For both book babies, Google streetview have proved to be a Godsend. And who can live without Google maps?

Even when it came to searching for a cover image for Book Baby 2, Google was the first place I looked. (I had looked round the men in my life and decided that none of them quite lived up to my expectations of Jake Power – sorry, guys) It did mean I perused more images of half-naked hot men, and some not so hot men, than was perhaps healthy for me. Tee Hee…..

This week’s topic has been of a darker nature (No, I’m not giving any Book Baby 3 plot clues away) and it has left me pondering a few bizarre points.

Well, I’ve procrastinated on the research front long enough for one day. Time to delve back into Google….or maybe I’ll read the dictionary instead.

 

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Spring – a Festival of Colours

Posted on March 24, 2016 | 2 comments

It’s no secret – I hate winter. I loathe being cold, detest snow and hate the long dark days. (OK I concede that a wild winter’s night can be cosy with the heating on, candles burning and the curtains drawn tight to shut out the weather)

Spring is finally here! Winter is over for another year!

For me, one of the first signs of spring is the arrival of that first day when I am able to drive home from work without having to put the car’s headlights on. That always feels like a small moral victory.

Seeing all the spring flowers appear makes the world a more colourful place. Who can resist daffodils, crocuses and tulips?

Hearing the birds singing in the trees and bushes, bursting with buds, is a beautiful sound (Perhaps with the exception of that wee bird that sits out the back of our house going Twee Twee Twee at the top if it’s voice!)

Spring truly is something to celebrate!

Whilst I’m not a religious person Easter too signals the arrival of spring.

This year however an alternative spring festival has come to my attention.

In the salt mine, where I work in my “real world”, we work closely with colleagues based in India. This week we helped them to celebrate the Hindu festival Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours. We were all asked to come into work in colourful clothes – yes, I do actually own some clothes that aren’t black!

Curious to learn more about Holi, I did a little research that I thought I’d share with you all.

Holi is one of India’s most popular festivals and is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Phalguna in the Hindu calendar. This year that fell on 23rd March. Holi celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring. It also traditionally celebrates the victory of good over evil.

There are several legends associated with the Festival of Colours.

The story of Holika and Prahlad is one of the most important tales relating to the history of Holi. According to legend, there was a time when the entire world was ruled by a demon king, Hiranyakashyap. He was ruthless and expected everyone to worship him. Prahlad refused to. Instead Prahlad was devoted to Lord Naarayana, also known as Lord Vishnu. This was a huge issue for Hiranyakashyap because Prahlad was his son. On numerous occasions,  the demon king tried to murder his son, only to be thwarted every time by Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap enlisted some help to deal with Prahlad in the form of a demon called Holika. Holika was believed to be immune to the effects of fire. She enticed Prahlad into her clutches and, once he was within her reach, she grabbed him, sat him on her lap and sat them both in a pit of flames. Holika soon discovered to her cost that she was only immune to fire if she entered the flames alone. The fire consumed her. Prahlad emerged from the flames unharmed. He later learned the Lord Vishnu had granted him protection from the flames as a reward for his devotion.

A second legend associated with the Festival of Colours is the love story of Radha and Krishna.

When Lord Krishna was young, he was envious of the Radha’s fair skin. (Radha was a Hindu goddess). In an attempt to express his feelings of love and envy, Krishna rubbed colour onto Radha’s face. This act of “colouring” another person is now considered to be an expression of friendship and love.

So how is Holi celebrated?

On the eve of Holi, as midnight approaches, many people build large bonfires and gather round them to sing and dance and spend time with family and friends. The fire symbolises the death of Holika and the triumph of good over evil.

A tradition drink called Bhang is also prepared and enjoyed during Holi. Bhang is made from a cannabis paste…I’ll leave that thought there.

The next day, the Festival of Colours continues with the throwing of coloured powder or coloured water as people dash through the streets of the cities across India. This is a lively celebration of respect, love and devotion to the deities, friends and family.

Different areas of India celebrate in subtly different ways. There are so many diverse cultures across this vast country that many celebrate in their own unique way.

Jaipur, a popular destination for travellers, centres its festival around elephants and upbeat music.

Delhi adopts a more modern approach and hosts a vibrant festival of food and music, designed for family and friends to relax and have fun.

After the recent tragic events, carried out in the name of religion, that are dominating the world’s news, the idea of celebrating a triumph of good over evil around a bonfire, with a drink or two and in the company of family and friends sounds like a good idea to me.

Holika-DahanHoli_coloursholi-historyholi-festival-of-colors1Holi12cf4d6db5a7397816079ffbb8e7e7767elephant-festival-night-before-holi-jaipur

 credits to the owners of all photos – sourced form Google Images

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Second’s Out- Round Three!

Posted on March 16, 2016 | 2 comments

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Sooner than I’d expected something has begun….

The one thing I’m not very good at is relaxing and doing nothing. Unless I’m ill, I struggle to slob on the settee. I watch very little TV in general and usually only watch one or two programmes a week. (That will change slightly as the motor sport season is about to begin again! Vroom Vroom)

After I had finalised Book Baby 2, I was mentally and physically exhausted. There were a few late nights in the final run up as I tried to squeeze as many hours into a day as possible. I promised myself I’d take a break. Give myself time for the batteries to recharge. But how long would that take?

Less than three weeks would be the answer!

I tried to chill a bit. I promise I did but it never really happened.

Within a few days of finishing Book Baby 2, I had turned my creative attention back to a serialised short story I return to every few months and picked up its tale once more (Woo Hoo declared fans of The Imp) It was a good diversion from all things Silver Lake and it was nice to just write and not be 100% focussed on proofreading and editing.

As I sat at the laptop, I could hear a wee voice calling from the book file perched on the corner of the table. It was whispering then ultimately screaming “Read me!”

Yes, the partially written Book Baby 3 began to stir.

I tried to ignore its cries but I felt like a stressed out mother of a sleepless child trying to master the controlled crying technique. Like I had many years before with the real screaming baby, I failed miserably. (To explain, Boy Child was a terrible sleeper as a baby and toddler. I tried the controlled crying with him and failed abysmally. He never slept through the night until he was three years old. That’s a lot of broken sleep and involved huge vats of coffee!)

After a few days, I surrendered and lifted the screaming notebook from the box and began to read. I tried to pace myself and read slowly. I failed there too.

To be honest, before I had finished the first handwritten draft of Book Baby 2, I had written the opening scenes of the next and possibly final part in the Silver Lake series. That was in December 2013. I then parked it until I had finished the first draft of what became Impossible Depths and then got caught up with preparing Stronger Within for publication through the latter half of 2014.

It all seems a very long time ago in one sense and just like yesterday in another!

I lifted and laid the third part of the story throughout the latter part of 2014, all of 2015 and had in fact last touched on the 3 Jan this year.

Perhaps the tale was losing patience with me! Hence the screaming for attention. Maybe it was feeling unloved!

As I read over the story so far, I could feel my inner creative voice begin to twitch and respond to its cries.

And so it begins….slowly!

I intend to take my time writing this one (famous last words knowing me!) and I’ve already identified an element of re-writing required and small continuity gaps, probably caused by the stop-start approach taken to date.

As the lighter evenings lie before me, I can see this story unfolding. It’s pace may be weather dependant! My favourite time and place to write is in the early evening sun, sitting on my doorstep with my iPod on. If we have a good summer, we may see Book Baby 3 emerge into the light sooner than if it pours with rain for weeks.

There’s no written plan or outline. No paragraph plans. I have a few key scenes in mind still to work into the tale and I have a vision of where it will end and that’s as structured as it gets for now.

So to return to the, probably by now over-used, pregnancy analogy, I’m in the first trimester again. A bit of me is feeling sick to the pit of my stomach with fear about starting this merry-go-round again so soon but another bit is bursting with excitement to let the tale out. It’s too early to say whether this will span to one book or two- who knows it may be twins! I’ll reserve judgement until I have the end in sight. I’m still promoting my original Book Baby, Stronger Within, and it’s younger sibling Book Baby 2, Impossible Depths, and am encouraged by the love the world is showing them both.

To answer a question that I’ve been asked repeatedly over the last week or two – I don’t know when Book Baby 3 will be out. Sometime in 2017 for definite but whether that’s April or November remains to be seen.

Will it be the end of the road for all things Silver Lake – who knows! I’ll see where my characters lead me.

Do I have visions of some Book Baby “cousins” that would see me expand on some of the characters? – most definitely yes!

All I need now is a long hot summer!

 

(credits to the owner of the photo.)

For your info – just in case you’ve missed them! – here’s the links to Book Babies 1 and 2.

 

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A Pile Of Ironing Or Is It?…..

Posted on March 8, 2016 | 1 comment

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I’m sure I’m not alone in finding doing the household ironing a chore.

If I had a £1 for every time I’ve declared that we should all join a nudist colony or surmised that half of the neighbours in the street must be putting their laundry in my basket, then I’d be a rich girl!

Let’s be honest – ironing is not the most scintillating of tasks.

I’ll confess to being more than a little OCD about the weekly mountain of creased clothing.

Household rule is that “if it isn’t ironed on Sunday then it can wait until next week”.

Yes, unless by rare exception, I only iron once a week.

I’m beyond fussy when it comes to what order things get ironed in, what hanger they get hung on and about the way T-shirts are folded.

OK – I’m a nightmare and a tad on the weird side of normal about it all. I know! I know!

However, last Sunday, as I was ironing one of Boy Child’s favourite band T-shirts, for at least the hundredth time, I realised that the weekly ironing marathon can actually be a pleasant trip down memory lane.

The T-shirt that triggered this thought was Boy Child’s Alter Bridge shirt. He got it when we went to see them in Oct 2013 when they played the newly opened SSE Hydro. It was an amazing show. The first time I was fortunate enough to hear Myles Kennedy sing live and, yes, I saw that “infamous bee attack” (although I still think it was big fly or a blue bottle).

As I ironed Boy Child’s Black Label Society shirt a smile crept across my lips as I remembered watching Zack Wylde on stage in Glasgow’s O2 ABC in his kilt! What a sight!!

A similar thought was triggered as I ironed Boy Child’s Rival Sons shirt from their 2015 show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy. They too wore kilts. Scott Holiday knows how to rock a kilt and a leather jacket! They too played a blinding set that night. Love to listen to the Jay-bird sing.

I ironed Girl Child’s Slash T-shirt and recalled how happy she had looked posing for photos backstage at the SSE Hydro in Dec 2014 when we were lucky enough to meet the Conspirators and Myles Kennedy. She was glowing with happiness that night, especially when she met Frank Sidoris. What’s not to like? He’s cute and adorable and that hair of his smelled amazing! Happy and oh so precious memories!

I ironed Boy Child’s Ghost shirt and yet again marvelled at the fact I’d taken “communion” on the rail at a rock show. Bizarre memories!

Girl Child’s Nothing More shirt resurrected bittersweet memories. I originally bought the shirt for myself but gave it to Girl Child to try to compensate for two drunk female rock fans ruining an otherwise fantastic night for her. Nothing More were incredible that night in Barrowlands and played one of the most energetic sets I’ve seen.

I ironed my own Black Stone Cherry shirt from the recent Carnival of Madness show in Glasgow. More happy memories of a brilliant show and of a hilarious drive home.

It wasn’t just band merchandise that caused me to reminisce. Boy Child’s now very worn and slightly holey white Aeropostale shirt brought back holiday memories of time spent in the USA with family. Precious memories on many levels.

I could go on but I’ll spare you the rest of my laundry list but you get the idea.

I’d like to say, as the pile grows steadily again, that I’m looking forward to another trip down memory lane next Sunday but that might just be stretching a point.

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Announcing A New Arrival – Impossible Depths

Posted on February 29, 2016 | 6 comments

A Leap Day act of faith but Book Baby 2 aka Impossible Depths has made its debut on Amazon worldwide. EEK!

I still can’t quite believe it’s real. Can’t get me head round the fact that its done and out there for the world to see.

Like it’s predecessor, Impossible Depths was written long hand over many months. (I began writing it towards the end of 2013) It began “life” as four A4 notepads that have grown increasingly tatty over the months.

  IMAG3866 (1)

 

Painstakingly it was typed up – all 142 299 words of it -and re-drafted and tweaked and grammar checked and tweaked…..yes the OCD began to kick in big time!

Throughout this phase of its development I couldn’t have kept going without the love and support and encouragement of my “Infamous Five”. Seriously, I can’t thank those guys enough for putting up with me and for giving me so many hours of their own precious time.

 Then came the next challenge. I had my Book Baby 2 almost formed but it was naked! The cover went through several incarnations before I finally settled on the stock photography image that became the cover. The next hurdle to be overcome was Photoshop (it hates me) but under the patient guidance of my “fairy godmother”, I designed the cover and eventually pulled it together in both Kindle format and Create Space paperback format. Now that was a fiddly job!

 By this stage, I was in the final throes of preparation for Book Baby 2’s arrival into the world and it was passed to “the cavalry” to read through. My two beta readers who prefer the story as a whole instead of per “chunk”. Huge thanks to you both for your feedback and support.

Cue more tweaking!

 Then came the day to upload the files onto Create Space and to order the first “real” proof copy. (Having an actual physical copy is so much easier to proof than using the online previewer. Invaluable advice given to me by my “fairy godmother”)

Cue more tweaking and a pile of post it corrections! And an alteration to the resolution of the front cover. A fuzzy cover just wouldn’t do!

IMAG3861

  And now, many, many months down the line, my Book Baby 2 has flown the nest and is making its way in the world of rock romance fiction.

Like any proud mother, I am now sitting back and watching my baby continue on its journey. (Well, to be honest, I’m fretting about how it will do in the big bad world just like any new mother would do.) Some of you may love it; some of you may loathe it. It’s a fiction genre that’s not for everyone but to me these characters are a huge part of my life and very close to my heart.

So I guess it’s time to crack open the champagne and wet the baby’s head.

 IMAG2022_1_2

 

If you want to check it out, here’s the link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01C0GS30K?keywords=impossible%20depths&qid=1456764709&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

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The Return of an Old Friend -The Imp – part thirteen

Posted on February 25, 2016 | 2 comments

It’s been a while since I re-visited the tale of Amber, Jem, Urquhart and the witches but, for those who have been impatiently waiting, here’s part thirteen of The Imp – enjoy!

Clouds were covering the full moon as Amber looked out through the tiny slit of a window. From her tree top cell, she could just make out the convoy of wagons preparing to depart for the portal. In the distance she could see the faint faerie glow of the portal itself. The fairy/elf had watched the wagon train depart for the portal the previous night as she finalised her plans, scarcely daring to believe that she would make her escape through it. In her heart, she knew if she escaped now then she would never be able to return to the fairy kingdom again; knew if she needed help from her family she would need to turn to the elves. The thought chilled her heart but she had no other choice.

A soft knock at the door jolted her back to reality and, as she turned round, Blain entered alone. Her elf senses picked up a small movement to his left but, before she could say anything, the air shimmered and a tall, slender, shadow creature materialised in the room beside them.

“Good evening, princess,” said Blain softly. “I’ve brought you a visitor.”

“Blain!” she gasped. “Where did you find him? He’s perfect!”

Mutely, the shadow creature watched the two friends.

“He’s been staying with the healers for the past month, learning their secrets,” explained her friend. “Chamelle, this is Her Royal Highness, Princess Amber.”

“Charmed,” replied Chamelle, his voice wispy and hoarse. He stared intently at the fairy/elf, his dark eyes boring into her very soul then slowly the air around him began to shimmer. Gradually, before their eyes, he transformed into her mirror image.

“Are you ready to depart?” asked Blain anxiously. “We’ve only a few minutes to spare before they finish loading the wagons.”

“Yes,” replied Amber, lifting her sleeping son and settling him in the travel sling she had improvised from her spare shirt.

Earlier on, she had laid out the items that Blain had smuggled to her a few days before. The rowan twig had been stripped of its bark and fashioned into a magic wand. Curls of bark, soot and some of Amber and the baby’s hair strands lay in the bottom of a small wooden bowl on the table. With a quick glance at her friend, Amber lifted the needle and pricked her son’s thumb with it. Two large drops of blood spilled into the dish. The fairy/elf repeated the action on her own thumb, allowing the droplets of blood to mingle with the soot. Almost silently, she whispered an ancient elvish incantation then dipped the rowan wand into the bowl. A flash of green and red light lit up the room and, when the light returned to normal, the contents of the bowl had liquefied.

Swiftly, Amber dipped the thimble into the bowl then dripped the dark liquid into her son’s mouth. She swallowed two thimble-fuls herself then lifted her cloak.

“Amber?” began Blain, curious to learn what effect the spell would have.

In the blink of an eye, the fairy/elf and the baby vanished.

“Amber?” echoed Blain anxiously.

“We’re here,” she replied from within the invisibility spell. “Time to go. This won’t hold for long.”

 

            When they reached the base of the huge tree that had been her prison, Amber followed Blain through the village to the last wagon in the convoy. It was being loaded with sacks of fancy spun colourful cloth that was coveted by the women at the King’s court. The supervisor had carefully stacked the bags, ensuring that there was a small “cave” created for her to hide in.

“Stay safe, princess,” whispered Blain as he felt her move from his side.

From her hiding place. Amber heard her friend drop a heavy purse into the driver’s hand then felt the wagon lurch forward.

As the wagon passed through the portal into the human realm, the faerie magic broke her elven spell and Amber became aware that she was fully visible to all around. She held her breath, praying that the baby would remain asleep for the remainder of the journey.  The faerie slumber spell cast earlier was holding fast ….for now.

Steadily, the wagons trundled towards the village and the castle.

 

In his tower study, Urquhart stood at his window watching the train of wagons roll in from the portal. The fairy queen had signed off on five wagons per night for eight days. It was the most trade she had sanctioned in the past decade.

The boy wizard watched as the five covered wagons rolled down the narrow village street towards the castle.

His sharp eyes were drawn to the last wagon in the line. There was something about it that attracted his attention; something that was making his wizarding instincts twitch.

Dismissing the thought that flashed through his mind as an improbability, Urquhart returned to his desk and the ancient elven history that he had been studying. He had read it through three times from end to end and was still none the wiser about the fourth gemstone. His gut instinct told him he was searching for reference to a diamond but the history made no mention of one. There was no mention of any other stones, not even a pebble.

Thoughts of the wagon train interrupted him again and the boy wizard wandered back across to the window. A large bowl of crystals sat on a pedestal in the bay of the window. Carelessly, he ran his fingers through them, allowing the smooth stones to trickle through his grasp, as he watched the last of the wagons disappear from view as the entered the castle gates.

 

In the castle nursery, Jem too was standing at the window. The prince had his baby daughter nestled on his shoulder as he watched the fairies begin to unload their trade goods. The baby was restless and, every time he tried to return her to her crib, she squealed shrilly as he moved away from the window.

“What is the attraction with the window tonight, little miss?” whispered Jem as he turned her round in his arms so she could see out.

A movement at the rear of the last of the five wagons caught his eye.

The canvas flap moved aside and a tall, slender figure, clutching something tightly to their chest, stepped down, glanced round then disappeared into the shadows.

The baby squealed and wriggled in her father’s arms.

“Amber,” breathed Jem.

 

 

 

 

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Imminent Arrivals…..as the jitters set in!

Posted on February 18, 2016 | Leave a comment

 

 

 

Life over the past week has been a tad on the busy side – work, birthdays, school exams, stressed teenagers…you get the picture.

 Looming large on the horizon is also the anticipated arrival of Book Baby 2 aka Impossible Depths.

I’ve used the pregnancy analogy throughout the “gestation” of Book Baby 1 and 2 so why change the train of thought now? (I’m holding onto any and all trains of thought I can right now!)

Book Baby 2’s arrival is imminent. (Still not revealing the actual due date)

Safe to say, it’s fully formed and, if this was a real pregnancy, I’d say the head is engaged and I’m experiencing runs of Braxton Hicks. There’s an underlying air of excited expectation growing…..and panic! Am I ready for this?  EEKK!

In reality, I’m in the final throes of editing and proof reading and rapidly reaching the stage of second-guessing myself.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day this week!

Deep breaths…stay calm….

My final “scan”…sorry, paperback proof…arrived last week. It’s currently sporting a plethora of post it markers as I make the final tweaks to the punctuation and amend the odd sentence here and there.  Yes, I’m becoming OCD about it!

The cover also threw up a bit of a resolution issue so it was back out with Photoshop, another cry for help to my “fairy godmother” who has been SO incredibly patient with me. I think I’ve found and resolved the issue. Can’t have a fuzzy Book Baby 2!

I revealed the actual cover on my Facebook author page last weekend (https://www.facebook.com/Coral-McCallum-639174446188152/timeline?ref=page_internal)

 Oh..you haven’t seen my new baby yet?

OK, just for you…here it is! 

 

 Actual cover pic

 

 Like it? 

Keep your eyes peeled on here or on Facebook for news of new arrivals 😉

 PS. If you missed Book Baby 1 aka Stronger Within you can check it out on Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VXDSC1M?keywords=stronger%20within&qid=1455820294&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

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Lack of Blog Apologies…or is it excuses?

Posted on January 29, 2016 | 2 comments

OK so I’ve got to Friday night and still no “proper” blog post prepared.

So before guilt and panic set in about not posting something this week, I’ll offer up my humble apologies and promise that “normal service” will resume next week.

If you follow my ramblings on a regular basis, you will know that the “birth” of Book Baby 2 is fast approaching.

I’m not quite ready to reveal the exact “due date” but it’s sooner than some of you may think. 😉

I haven’t been procrastinating with regards to creative activity. Honestly!!!

I have for the last couple of weeks been trying to master the “dark arts” of Photoshop thanks to copious amounts of support from my “fairy godmother”  (Yes, this has involved magic wands!)

For me the biggest challenge of self-publishing via Amazon’s Kindle and Createspace options is the creation of the cover. Hence the need for Photoshop black magic.

Photoshop and I have a VERY shaky relationship at the best of times but thanks to the endless patience of my “fairy godmother” Book Baby 2 will not be coming into the world totally naked!

So, on that note, I’ll bid you farewell for now and return to practising the “dark arts”.

Here’s a wee tiny peek at things yet to be revealed.

BB2 teaser

 

 

 

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