Kicking the F out of LiFe: For me, it is not JUST stormy weather…

First of all I want to pass my sincerest condolences to everyone affected by the events in Paris this week. As someone who has driven through those idyllic streets with my little boy as my co-driver, it is hard to contemplate how horrific and terrifying the atrocities must have been for the local people. We live in uncertain times but we ALL, each and every one of us - regardless of religion, background, ethnicity – need to stand united for peace, tolerance and freedom.

#JESUISCHARLIE #JESUISAHMED xxx

Okay so this is new territory for me. Marketing a published book, editing a finished manuscript and writing the first draft of my third, yes my THIRD, novel ALL AT ONCE. Never, ever has time management meant so much to me. When I say time management, I mean making sure I don’t lose myself in my work and forget the world around me, not that there is ever any fear of that with my beautiful boys.

One thing I have learned during my new career change, is not to be too stuck in one way of doing things. The beauty of being self-employed is being able to make the decision of how you work. I read a lot of information from other authors and specialists in the literary world but at the end of the day I work on what is comfortable for me without it constraining my development and learning.

I thought I would give you a brief update on my work this week

Beyond the Past

This is my debut novel. Full links to purchase the book are on my website.

The links are on the right hand side of this blog, just above the book trailer.

The Synopsis -

In the height of his playing days, Mark Smith was a talented rugby player and the consummate professional. He was accused of raping a girl in a totally fabricated story that could have ended his career. It did end his marriage. He never found out the whole truth surrounding the allegations. Decades on, Mark is retired and works as a TV pundit. At a charity event, Annie Swift caught his eye. Slender and radiant, she lit up the room. Their relationship begins to blossom but out of the blue, Annie and Mark start to receive malicious texts, notes and being followed by a car. When Mark approaches the car, he is knocked off his feet.

DCI Fisher, the investigating officer only realises the gravity of the case when they are run off the road in a horrific motorway accident. He requests assistance from DS Phillipa Davies, someone he had admired from afar after sharing a Christmas party kiss. Together they unravel the case and find they share a love for rough, playful sex. The extent of the twenty year conspiracy against Mark unfolds with disastrous consequences.

The first three chapters are FREE on my website

Marketing is really tough and time consuming but absolutely essential. There is no definitive way of approaching marketing the book and some days I do wish I had an agent who could guide me through this minefield. I have in the past, paid for marketing services but in all honesty they have not given me anymore than I have done for myself. I have made mistakes but who doesn’t when they are in a new line of work? Life is about learning from your mistakes and developing as an individual. I am moving forward slowly but surely.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Beyond the Past

by Pam Charles

Giveaway ends January 31, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Beyond the Lies

I am currently editing the draft manuscript. My lovely publishers do have editors and it will be edited a number of times but I will only submit it when I am totally (well almost totally) happy with it.

Editing is not just punctuation and grammatical changes, though they are important especially for a perfectionist. Equally important is adding those extra special twists that hold the reader’s attention.

Although I had planned this novel, I never really knew the outcome until it was finished. This is the first draft which means the final submission to publishers may not resemble this version at all. In fact, I’m really pleased with the amendments I have made in the first twenty pages. Because I now know the outcome of the book, it is easy to change a few things to make the story more exciting and engaging. I think I get more excited at the first edit when I can finally the mould the story than I do with the first draft.

I work on the basis that the very first draft is only a blueprint and the final version could be completely different. For this book, I have allowed my reliable critic to read the rough draft and I am hoping she will love the final version as much as she loves the draft. Only time will tell.

This is a sequel to Beyond the Past. The synopsis will be posted in a future post, when I have finalised it.

Behind the Painted Smile

I can’t quite believe I am writing this – Behind the Painted Smile is my THIRD novel and I have started it with a bang. This is DCI Fisher and DS Davies’ first major case after the Mark Smith and Annie Swift case. They are somewhat local celebrities in their own right. A body is washed up on the banks of the River Wharfe. It is the fourth body to wash up in Yorkshire rivers in as many months. Harry and Phillipa have a serial killer on their hands. Will Harry head the inquiry or will it pass over him again? I have the basic outline of the murderer and the victims. The rest will develop as the storyline develops.

The Bank Holiday

This was a short story I wrote for the BBC Short Story competition. It was my first ever short story and I am currently working to change it into a script. I thought it would be good to practice on before I convert Beyond the Past to a screenplay.

You can read this on my website

Wow, I have been busy this week, haven’t I? On top of this I have been to Sheffield three times and done lots of KeyStage Two homework! I did say I was going to leap into 2015 and I have certainly kept my word. I wonder how long I can make it last? Well I got my answer on Thursday as the storms rolled in and everything turned into one, painfully frustrating go-slow. And on top of that the car developed a fault rendering it totally out of action and Lucas needed a blood test that turned into one big massive panic attack (him, not me) because the nurse stuck the needle in his arm and completely missed his vein! Oh the joys!!

Menieres

The storms cause a massive headache, quite literally for me. Over the last 12 months the Menieres has become more prevalent, which I knew it would but was hoping I could manage it without medication and I do, most days, to be fair. However, storms are an absolute killer for me. I can feel the pressure building in my ears and the back of my head. The tinnitus becomes louder and louder to the point that I want to scream. Then, after the physical symptoms comes the overwhelming feeling of uselessness and frustration. I know what I have to do, when I want it done by but the worst thing in the world, is your body not allowing you to do what your mind knows needs to be done. I sound like Captain Jack Sparrow!!

Imagine loud music playing in your head PERMANENTLY and you trying to sleep through it. That is what the tinnitus is like. Imagine being in a room of loud people and trying to hear the one soft voice at the side of you. I live with that every day. On top of the constant noise, then imagine having your worst ever hangover every day when you have not touched a drop of alcohol. I feel all this 24/7 when we have stormy weather. It is SO frustrating and quite frankly, depressing. As hard as I try the self confidence and self-esteem slips and I’m back to square one for a short while. I want to lock myself in a room but I can’t because in spite of feeling like this, the boys rely on me to be their mentor, their bread winner and most of all their Mum. Thankfully they understand this invisible monster and are very good at adapting when I am not well. They know to come to me and speak to me rather than shout from another room – I simply wouldn’t hear them.

I used to hide that I had Menieres, I saw it as some sort of flaw in me. I wouldn’t acknowledge the bad days and would try to carry on. Now I embrace it. I accept it is a part of me and Bob Marley was absolutely right when he wrote, “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” I don’t accept I have to live within limitations but I accept the limitations are there. Some days I can push those boundaries further than others and it may take me longer than most to get where I want to be but while there is a breath in my body and the boys need a role model, I will fight to achieve my personal goals.

Stay safe everyone and make every day count.