My guest today is Carol Warham whose debut novel,
Resolutions, was released last week by Tigearr Publishing.
Welcome, Carol, and please tell everyone a little about yourself.
Writing has been my
love since childhood, when I started by making small comics for my dolls and
friends. I progressed to training as a journalist for a short while, but soon
realised that was not the career for me. Marriage, two daughters and a busy
working life meant I didn’t write for a number of years. However once things
settled down I returned to writing and was lucky enough to have published short
stories, poems and holiday articles.
In recent years I have
become a judge in the short story section for the HysteriaUK competition and
also for the RNA’s romance novel of the year.
Earlier this year, I,
also, represented my local book group on BBC Radio Leeds, talking about books
and the work on my novel.
I’ve lived in
Yorkshire for over thirty years. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by some
beautiful countryside, which is ideal for my other passion of walking, often
with a dog called Sam. This lovely area is the ideal location for my first
novel, Resolutions.
What do you think makes a good romance novel?
In my opinion, a good story is pivotal to the novel. This
must then introduce characters the reader becomes involved with, either loving
or hating them depending on who they are. Every romance novel needs to have a
happy ending.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Plus anything you want to
say about how you create your plots e.g. from a basic idea or from the
characters or ???)
I am very much a pantser. I let my writing flow without any
planning at all, although this can mean I have a lot of work to do when I start
the editing. The plot for Resolutions came from a location and the name of a town
in Florida, U.S.A. The story and the characters followed on from there.
How do you know when to stop ‘tweaking’ your manuscript?
You don’t, or at least, I don’t. I had to finally decide to
‘let it go’, or I would have been tweaking and changing parts for ever. Even
now I cringe at certain sentences or paragraphs and wish I could change them.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received/read?
The first piece of advice which really surprised me was to
read the manuscript aloud. This really helps to hear where the story doesn’t
flow. It definitely works and I would
say that is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever had.
After that it is to edit, and edit properly, taking your
time and check everything, especially grammar and spelling.
What’s your cure for ‘writer’s block’ or when you’re stuck
at some point in your story?
I don’t have a cure. If I need to, I walk away and go and do
something else, in the hope the ideas will form. It’s also helpful to have
friends you can discuss the story with. They can really help you look at where
the story is going and what you need to carry on with it.
What, for you, is the easiest part of writing? And what’s
the hardest?
The easiest part is definitely the first draft, when the
story is coming alive and I’m learning about my characters. I found editing
hard, time consuming and at times very
frustrating, but then I had a lot to learn.
Please give a short ‘blurb’ about your latest release plus
publisher, release date, where it can be obtained – and any other details you
want to include.
Resolutions was published by Tirgearr Publishing on 9th
August 2017. It is available as an e-book through
Amazon,
Kobo,
Smashwords
and
Nook.
Carly Mitchell returns
to the small town of Yeardon in Yorkshire almost a year after running away on
her wedding day. Now she wants to try to make amends with Steve, his family,
and the townspeople who had prepared a huge party to celebrate her New Year’s
Eve wedding.
She intends to stay
only for a few days at the Resolution Hotel, owned by Steve’s parents. However,
her plans change when Steve’s father is taken ill, and she feels obliged to
step in and help with running the hotel. This also means having to deal with
Steve’s antagonism since he has never forgiven her for humiliating him.
A further complication
comes in the form of Ben Thornton, the local doctor, to whom Carly feels an
immediate attraction. They enjoy getting to know each other and falling in
love, until a famous model from Ben’s past arrives in the town, and stays at
the hotel.
Steve attempts to get
his revenge on Carly by driving a wedge between her and Ben, and by threatening
to reveal what he knows about Ben’s troubled past unless Carly leaves town.
The resolution lies in
Carly’s hands as she struggles between wanting to flee from the town again and
wanting to stay with the man she has grown to love.
Here is a short extract from when Carly arrives back in her
home town of Yeardon. I hope you enjoy it.
Would she ever be able to walk through this town and into
the shops again and receive a warm welcome? What sort of greeting would anyone
give her now? What sort of greeting did she deserve? Yeardon had been a
wonderful place to grow up. It was one of those towns where you knew everyone
and they knew you.
Her mind a maelstrom of anxiety, she tightened her grip on
the steering wheel. Who would have believed anyone’s hands could shake so much?
On the far side of the town she turned into a drive, which
led down a short, narrow lane to an hotel, a converted mill owner’s house.
After finding a space in the car park, she switched off the engine, but
remained in the car for a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, she closed her
eyes.
The drumming of the rain on the roof was not reassuring. The
weather seemed to be giving a further warning to leave now while she could. She
peered through the rain- splattered screen at the sign above the front door. In
copper plate script, it read ‘Resolution Hotel’. The building looked well-kept
and fresh. Business must be going well for Jim and Abi.
“Well, here goes.”
Her words, spoken out loud, helped to break the tension as
the knots tightened inside her. After all she couldn’t sit there all night,
could she? Inhaling deeply, she grabbed her overnight bag and willed her legs
to move. Her head down against the biting rain; she ran up the five steps and
pushed open the heavy oak front door.
Jim Sinclair sat at the desk. A single lamp broke the
shadows in the reception area. These competed with the twinkling lights of the
large Christmas tree in the corner. She was glad she’d rung the day before to
ask if it was possible to book a room. He didn’t say there weren’t any
vacancies as she’d expected him to. She scrutinised him for a few seconds. Jim
had put a little weight on but he looked well. He was his usual casual self in
slacks and rolled up shirtsleeves.
Shaking off the rain as best she could, she waited by the
door. Her heart pounded as she struggled to find something to say.
Jim saved her the necessity. “Well now, can’t say I ever
expected to see you back here again, especially now.” He put down the book he
had been reading. “Abi’s taken it hard that you’ve decided to come back,
especially after not hearing a word from you for nearly twelve months. I had to
persuade her to let you stay here.”
Thanks for having me on your blog Paula. It was a pleasure
to answer your questions.
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