Hazel Prior's Blog
September 15, 2024
Purrsy philosopy and approaching Penguins
Hi!
How has your summer been? Purrsy has been enjoying his, as you can see.
Although he’s lost both his sight and hearing, he still knows how to enjoy life. He still loves the warmth of sunshine on fur, the summer scents on the breeze, the bedtime snuggles. I’m striving to take a leaf out of Purrsy’s book. Busy as I am despairing about the terrible news from around the world, I’m keen not to miss all the wonderful things that are right under my nose. Here’s an example from a drive home the other day in the Exmoor evening light. What a place to live!
On to book news, and you may have gathered the publication date of Gone with the Penguins has been delayed until November 7th. It’s to do with marketing. I don’t really understand these things, I just trust in the wisdom of my publishers. We finally have a cover too, and it’s a good one!
It’s funny, when Veronica first marched into my imagination and started bossing me about, I worried that nobody would like her. Readers adored Dan the harp-maker, the supremely lovable main character from my debut novel… but feisty, grumpy old Veronica? Would anyone even read beyond the first few pages? What a relief it was when, at the launch of Ellie And The Harp Maker, my agent whispered in my ear, “I probably shouldn’t say this now but I’ve just read your first draft of AWTP and oh my, I just love Veronica McCreedy!”
Thankfully a lot of readers seem to feel the same! I’m keeping my fingers very crossed that everyone will enjoy this last adventure with Veronica and her team.
Meanwhile draft one of my sixth book is beginning to grow and sprout all over the place… But I won’t be able to share anything about it for a long time yet, I’m afraid.
It’s always a privilege for me to receive books pre-publication, and here are some of my favourite recent reads: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr (curiously charming), Things Don’t Break on their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (darkly haunting), Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin (quirkily uplifting) and Sally Page’s The Secret of Flowers (beautiful and intriguing). I’ve also read the spectacular success which is The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. I’d recommend all of these brilliant reads.
Thank you so much for your continued support. May your days be sunny, your nights be cosy and your reading be completely blissful.
How has your summer been? Purrsy has been enjoying his, as you can see.
Although he’s lost both his sight and hearing, he still knows how to enjoy life. He still loves the warmth of sunshine on fur, the summer scents on the breeze, the bedtime snuggles. I’m striving to take a leaf out of Purrsy’s book. Busy as I am despairing about the terrible news from around the world, I’m keen not to miss all the wonderful things that are right under my nose. Here’s an example from a drive home the other day in the Exmoor evening light. What a place to live!
On to book news, and you may have gathered the publication date of Gone with the Penguins has been delayed until November 7th. It’s to do with marketing. I don’t really understand these things, I just trust in the wisdom of my publishers. We finally have a cover too, and it’s a good one!
It’s funny, when Veronica first marched into my imagination and started bossing me about, I worried that nobody would like her. Readers adored Dan the harp-maker, the supremely lovable main character from my debut novel… but feisty, grumpy old Veronica? Would anyone even read beyond the first few pages? What a relief it was when, at the launch of Ellie And The Harp Maker, my agent whispered in my ear, “I probably shouldn’t say this now but I’ve just read your first draft of AWTP and oh my, I just love Veronica McCreedy!”
Thankfully a lot of readers seem to feel the same! I’m keeping my fingers very crossed that everyone will enjoy this last adventure with Veronica and her team.
Meanwhile draft one of my sixth book is beginning to grow and sprout all over the place… But I won’t be able to share anything about it for a long time yet, I’m afraid.
It’s always a privilege for me to receive books pre-publication, and here are some of my favourite recent reads: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr (curiously charming), Things Don’t Break on their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (darkly haunting), Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin (quirkily uplifting) and Sally Page’s The Secret of Flowers (beautiful and intriguing). I’ve also read the spectacular success which is The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. I’d recommend all of these brilliant reads.
Thank you so much for your continued support. May your days be sunny, your nights be cosy and your reading be completely blissful.
February 25, 2024
Aiming to please... myself!
I’m waiting. Anxiously. The first two drafts of my fifth book are done. I hope it’s going to be a good one; my editors think it is, which is always a positive sign, but of course I’m far too close to it to judge.
No, I can’t give away anything yet because nothing is official and we’re still debating the title. The list of possibilities goes on and on and on. So many ideas, and my editors, the marketing team and I all have very different preferences.
I started writing this one in earnest during April last year, although ideas were percolating before that. It's only February and I was expecting another stiff round of edits last week. But I’m told the book is almost there and the last few comments will arrive along with the copyedit. I’m suspicious. Surely there must be masses of improvements yet to make? Surely I’ve hardly even scratched the surface of the story? But that's probably my panic speaking.
My way of working tends to be to write the bare bones of a story, then add depth and detail ad infinitum, then brutally shear away again at the final edit. When I wrote my last book, Life and Otter Miracles, I became so obsessive that I was continually squeezing in extra scenes and details, working my socks off to give everyone a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of my book. But I never got the chance for the brutal shearing because of a tight deadline, and I still ask myself if the novel would have been better or worse, given more time…
(These readers certainly enjoyed it!)
Who is to say what is better and what is worse, anyway? Readers read so differently. While some people have declared Life and Otter Miracles to be my very best book, others complain that it isn’t as good as Ellie and the Harp Maker or my penguin-themed books. Just as some readers require plenty of explanation, others will read between the lines and grasp my exact meaning at the faintest nuance. And the very aspects that some adore will bore others to tears.
What I have learned is that, although I strive for a beautifully expressed turn of phrase or perfectly chosen word, most readers don’t give a damn about literary brilliance. What they care about is the characters, and they just want to get on with the story. Probably the aspects I stress about most are the ones that matter least. So this time I’m telling myself to focus only on doing justice to that story and to those beloved characters I’ve created. Oh my, it can be hard when you are exhausted and the deadlines are so relentless!
Still, writing, like life itself, is about compromise. I already know exactly what criticisms will be levelled at this book. They are things that I could easily change… but I don’t want to. I love it just the way it is and I must be true to my own vision or what is the point? I can only hope that you will love it too.
No, I can’t give away anything yet because nothing is official and we’re still debating the title. The list of possibilities goes on and on and on. So many ideas, and my editors, the marketing team and I all have very different preferences.
I started writing this one in earnest during April last year, although ideas were percolating before that. It's only February and I was expecting another stiff round of edits last week. But I’m told the book is almost there and the last few comments will arrive along with the copyedit. I’m suspicious. Surely there must be masses of improvements yet to make? Surely I’ve hardly even scratched the surface of the story? But that's probably my panic speaking.
My way of working tends to be to write the bare bones of a story, then add depth and detail ad infinitum, then brutally shear away again at the final edit. When I wrote my last book, Life and Otter Miracles, I became so obsessive that I was continually squeezing in extra scenes and details, working my socks off to give everyone a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of my book. But I never got the chance for the brutal shearing because of a tight deadline, and I still ask myself if the novel would have been better or worse, given more time…
(These readers certainly enjoyed it!)
Who is to say what is better and what is worse, anyway? Readers read so differently. While some people have declared Life and Otter Miracles to be my very best book, others complain that it isn’t as good as Ellie and the Harp Maker or my penguin-themed books. Just as some readers require plenty of explanation, others will read between the lines and grasp my exact meaning at the faintest nuance. And the very aspects that some adore will bore others to tears.
What I have learned is that, although I strive for a beautifully expressed turn of phrase or perfectly chosen word, most readers don’t give a damn about literary brilliance. What they care about is the characters, and they just want to get on with the story. Probably the aspects I stress about most are the ones that matter least. So this time I’m telling myself to focus only on doing justice to that story and to those beloved characters I’ve created. Oh my, it can be hard when you are exhausted and the deadlines are so relentless!
Still, writing, like life itself, is about compromise. I already know exactly what criticisms will be levelled at this book. They are things that I could easily change… but I don’t want to. I love it just the way it is and I must be true to my own vision or what is the point? I can only hope that you will love it too.
September 9, 2023
Otters in the Offing
THE OTTERS HAVE BEEN RELEASED!!!
That is, my latest novel, LIFE AND OTTER MIRACLES is already out in e-book where you can get it for a limited time for a piffling 99p (UK only). Here’s the link: my link text
Paperback and audio publication date is September 14th in the UK, and soon after for other countries. Not long to go - and did I mention before how it helps authors if you pre-order books? Now's the perfect time. Not that I’m hinting or anything...
A new book coming out is a nerve-wracker of a time for an author, and I’m feeling equally excited and exhausted. I didn’t want to become a one trick pony – or rather, a one trick penguin, so in Life and Otter Miracles I’ve tried something different. ‘Write what you know’ is a piece of advice that’s often dished out, but I tend to ignore it, preferring to dig around in my imagination and see what I can pull out. However, for the first time in this novel, I’ve included some real things that happened to me. I’ve included an issue seldom explored in fiction but one that affects so many people it really should be out there more. I’ve aimed for a book with some deeply lovable characters (especially the otters), an unusual, entertaining storyline and something important to say. I do hope you’ll love it!
The next two months will be ‘stupid busy’ for me, with book events lined up at Ivybridge, Langport, Taunton, Spetisbury, Exeter, Wellington, Minehead, South Petherton and Yeovil. It would be lovely to see you at any of these if you’re able to come. I'm hoping to make it to Dartmoor Otters And Butterflies too, and visit the otters who helped me so much for my research. I especially want to meet Sammy, my adopted otter, again.
Now I need to get on with practising my otter song with harp accompaniment. Like the penguin song, it just had to be done!
Hope to see you soon! x
That is, my latest novel, LIFE AND OTTER MIRACLES is already out in e-book where you can get it for a limited time for a piffling 99p (UK only). Here’s the link: my link text
Paperback and audio publication date is September 14th in the UK, and soon after for other countries. Not long to go - and did I mention before how it helps authors if you pre-order books? Now's the perfect time. Not that I’m hinting or anything...
A new book coming out is a nerve-wracker of a time for an author, and I’m feeling equally excited and exhausted. I didn’t want to become a one trick pony – or rather, a one trick penguin, so in Life and Otter Miracles I’ve tried something different. ‘Write what you know’ is a piece of advice that’s often dished out, but I tend to ignore it, preferring to dig around in my imagination and see what I can pull out. However, for the first time in this novel, I’ve included some real things that happened to me. I’ve included an issue seldom explored in fiction but one that affects so many people it really should be out there more. I’ve aimed for a book with some deeply lovable characters (especially the otters), an unusual, entertaining storyline and something important to say. I do hope you’ll love it!
The next two months will be ‘stupid busy’ for me, with book events lined up at Ivybridge, Langport, Taunton, Spetisbury, Exeter, Wellington, Minehead, South Petherton and Yeovil. It would be lovely to see you at any of these if you’re able to come. I'm hoping to make it to Dartmoor Otters And Butterflies too, and visit the otters who helped me so much for my research. I especially want to meet Sammy, my adopted otter, again.
Now I need to get on with practising my otter song with harp accompaniment. Like the penguin song, it just had to be done!
Hope to see you soon! x
May 13, 2023
Sorry
I want to apologise. It's been a crazily long time since I last visited Goodreads and I know it's bad. I'm bad, a bad, bad person. But no - wait! Enough of the beating myself up! I'm going to present my excuses reasons and hope for your understanding. You see, I'm trying my hardest to:
- Write the very best books I possibly can, often when up against impossible deadlines.
- Research for those books because sometimes it takes a lot and I want to get my facts right.
- Publicise those books on Twitter, Instagram, in bookshops, at live events, on Zoom and anywhere else when given the opportunity or nobody will ever read them.
- Support other authors as much as I can because they're all struggling too. I know this now.
- Keep up with emails (oh my, so many emails!) and messages from readers.
- Keep practising the harp because I believe providing music in Care Homes is important... and besides, music keeps me sane.
- Sing in my choir, quartet and play in the trio (same reasons). Also because it's my social life and if I cut that I'll have nothing to write about.
- Stay healthy, which is easier said than done.
- Maintain a good relationship with my husband (OK, so I should have put this first!)
- Care for my cat. Purrsy is old, blind, deaf and has dementia but he has given us so much over the years and we love him.
- Oh yes, the boring things like laundry, gardening, doctor's appointments, shopping, cooking. And eating. That's important too.
Every day I fail. I fail at most of it. But, in spite of social media trying to convince us everyone else is living a perfect life, failure is just part of being human. I'm not all I want to be, but I must accept that.
There's a lot of stuff around relating to mental health at the mo, and I notice we're nearly in 'Mental Health Awareness Week'. So I'm going to grab the opportunity to be kind to myself and forgive myself. Please forgive me too! You may want to forgive yourself for your daily failings while you're at it.
And, on a final and different note, this is my first blog here for ages but I have been blogging elsewhere. If you'd like to know about my penguin adventures (very little philosophising, just penguins!) check out my author website https://www.hazelprior.co.uk/blog
And here, by way of a taster, is a very unapologetic penguin!
- Write the very best books I possibly can, often when up against impossible deadlines.
- Research for those books because sometimes it takes a lot and I want to get my facts right.
- Publicise those books on Twitter, Instagram, in bookshops, at live events, on Zoom and anywhere else when given the opportunity or nobody will ever read them.
- Support other authors as much as I can because they're all struggling too. I know this now.
- Keep up with emails (oh my, so many emails!) and messages from readers.
- Keep practising the harp because I believe providing music in Care Homes is important... and besides, music keeps me sane.
- Sing in my choir, quartet and play in the trio (same reasons). Also because it's my social life and if I cut that I'll have nothing to write about.
- Stay healthy, which is easier said than done.
- Maintain a good relationship with my husband (OK, so I should have put this first!)
- Care for my cat. Purrsy is old, blind, deaf and has dementia but he has given us so much over the years and we love him.
- Oh yes, the boring things like laundry, gardening, doctor's appointments, shopping, cooking. And eating. That's important too.
Every day I fail. I fail at most of it. But, in spite of social media trying to convince us everyone else is living a perfect life, failure is just part of being human. I'm not all I want to be, but I must accept that.
There's a lot of stuff around relating to mental health at the mo, and I notice we're nearly in 'Mental Health Awareness Week'. So I'm going to grab the opportunity to be kind to myself and forgive myself. Please forgive me too! You may want to forgive yourself for your daily failings while you're at it.
And, on a final and different note, this is my first blog here for ages but I have been blogging elsewhere. If you'd like to know about my penguin adventures (very little philosophising, just penguins!) check out my author website https://www.hazelprior.co.uk/blog
And here, by way of a taster, is a very unapologetic penguin!
March 28, 2022
Fiction, Friction And Flowers
First, here are daffodils. You definitely deserve daffodils! They are the most enthusiastic of flowers, and I find the sight of them – especially when crowd of them are trumpeting together - truly life-affirming.
Spring is my favourite season and, despite all the sorrow in the world, nature just keeps giving us signs of hope – birdsong, sunshine, sprouting green buds and shining new petals. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be blitzed by a huge mix of feelings at the moment: delight in nature’s bounty, yet guilt that you’re enjoying it while many people are suffering; anger, disbelief and heartbreak at the devastation we see on the news; helplessness because there seems so little we can do; concern about the future… and all this on top of the usual petty stresses of personal life (in my case a looming deadline). All these feelings are valid, but can be overwhelming. It’s really important to take a break sometimes, and one way of doing that is to immerse yourself in fiction.
Here are a few quotations I've stumbled across recently that rang true to me, and I will leave for you to ponder.
Storytelling is a vaccine against war
~ Annette Simmons
The pen is mightier than the sword
~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book
~ Jane Smiley
I've recently been finding welcome escapism in the wonderful fiction of Clare Pooley, Samantha Tonge and Jane Sanderson. I've also been escaping (I have to, really!) into my own writing, and I hope other people can find solace there too. On the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine I received the humbling news that my third novel will be published in both those countries. It has always been my intention to write stories that will cheer people on and help them smile through the dark times. Although I put my characters through pain and grief, they ultimately find strength to overcome their challenges. Wherever my books end up in the world I can only hope they will do their bit to lift and hearten.
(These are a few foreign editions of Away With The Penguins: Ukrainian, German, Brazilian, Chinese, French and Russian. Amazing to think of those penguins waddling across the world!)
On a more mundane (but possibly relevant) note, it is my duty to inform you of two special offers. My debut novel, Ellie And The Harp Maker, can be bought for the peanutty price of 99p on kindle until the end of March (UK only). All set in the Exmoor countryside, it’s the story of quirky, gentle Dan (who obsessively makes harps and sandwiches), determined Ellie (who follows her dream and makes a vital discovery) and courageous Phineas (a pheasant who is destined for greatness).
And if you're in the USA, How The Penguins Saved Veronica (The American title of Away With The Penguins) is also available for a short time at a hugely reduced $1.99. Veronica, as you may know, is one extremely feisty octogenarian who has a thing or two to learn from the penguins!
Wishing you joy in all the little things, peace, hope, sunshine and plenty of really good books!
Spring is my favourite season and, despite all the sorrow in the world, nature just keeps giving us signs of hope – birdsong, sunshine, sprouting green buds and shining new petals. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be blitzed by a huge mix of feelings at the moment: delight in nature’s bounty, yet guilt that you’re enjoying it while many people are suffering; anger, disbelief and heartbreak at the devastation we see on the news; helplessness because there seems so little we can do; concern about the future… and all this on top of the usual petty stresses of personal life (in my case a looming deadline). All these feelings are valid, but can be overwhelming. It’s really important to take a break sometimes, and one way of doing that is to immerse yourself in fiction.
Here are a few quotations I've stumbled across recently that rang true to me, and I will leave for you to ponder.
Storytelling is a vaccine against war
~ Annette Simmons
The pen is mightier than the sword
~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book
~ Jane Smiley
I've recently been finding welcome escapism in the wonderful fiction of Clare Pooley, Samantha Tonge and Jane Sanderson. I've also been escaping (I have to, really!) into my own writing, and I hope other people can find solace there too. On the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine I received the humbling news that my third novel will be published in both those countries. It has always been my intention to write stories that will cheer people on and help them smile through the dark times. Although I put my characters through pain and grief, they ultimately find strength to overcome their challenges. Wherever my books end up in the world I can only hope they will do their bit to lift and hearten.
(These are a few foreign editions of Away With The Penguins: Ukrainian, German, Brazilian, Chinese, French and Russian. Amazing to think of those penguins waddling across the world!)
On a more mundane (but possibly relevant) note, it is my duty to inform you of two special offers. My debut novel, Ellie And The Harp Maker, can be bought for the peanutty price of 99p on kindle until the end of March (UK only). All set in the Exmoor countryside, it’s the story of quirky, gentle Dan (who obsessively makes harps and sandwiches), determined Ellie (who follows her dream and makes a vital discovery) and courageous Phineas (a pheasant who is destined for greatness).
And if you're in the USA, How The Penguins Saved Veronica (The American title of Away With The Penguins) is also available for a short time at a hugely reduced $1.99. Veronica, as you may know, is one extremely feisty octogenarian who has a thing or two to learn from the penguins!
Wishing you joy in all the little things, peace, hope, sunshine and plenty of really good books!
October 8, 2021
New Harp! New Book! New Plans!
You might have noticed I've been on a blogging break for some time. My apologies if you've missed me! I've been busy talking with book groups on Zoom, creating my new website, publicising my third book, throwing together ideas for my fourth and doing harp gigs which are (hooray!) happening again. It's now high time that I showed off my wonderful new harp, which was put together by Scottish harp-maker, Mark Norris. So here it is, freshly-made and standing proud in his harp workshop. Isn't it beautiful? It sounds absolutely gorgeous too!
In case anyone is wondering, no, I didn't base my protagonist in ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER on Mark. I hadn't met him when I wrote my debut novel, although this harp is actually a present from me to me to celebrate achieving that unexpected and miraculous thing: publication. After a two-year wait (you can probably guess why – nothing has been normal these last two years) it's amazing to finally own this marvellous instrument. I will soon be updating my life and getting a mobile phone that does reasonably good recordings... so keep an eye on my websites and social media if you'd like to hear the harp in action.
My other big news is that my next book will be out soon! Readers seem to love my oh-so-prickly but fabulously determined character, Veronica McCreedy, so I've given her another penguin adventure. I do hope you'll enjoy CALL OF THE PENGUINS. It hits the UK in November and will be out in Canada in the New Year, I'm told. It's available to pre-order now (and please remember that pre-ordering really, really helps authors!) There's no news on the USA front yet I'm afraid, but all my fingers and toes are crossed that it will be available there too.
I'm excited to be appearing at Yeovil, Taunton and Exeter Literary Festivals next month. If anyone is around in southwest England do come along!
Time has this habit of evaporating and books, alas, don't write themselves. So I've decided I won't be blogging quite as much as before, but I'm going to do a very authorish thing and send out newsletters instead. Please sign up on my author website if you're interested. My next letter, by popular request, will include some writing tips as well as penguin and Exmoor content...
Books have always given me enormous comfort when times are tough. As I venture into my fourth novel I am more mindful than ever of the need for uplifting stories. In the meantime it's my hope that CALL OF THE PENGUINS will provide you with many smiles during the winter months ahead. Stay warm, stay well, and Happy Reading!
In case anyone is wondering, no, I didn't base my protagonist in ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER on Mark. I hadn't met him when I wrote my debut novel, although this harp is actually a present from me to me to celebrate achieving that unexpected and miraculous thing: publication. After a two-year wait (you can probably guess why – nothing has been normal these last two years) it's amazing to finally own this marvellous instrument. I will soon be updating my life and getting a mobile phone that does reasonably good recordings... so keep an eye on my websites and social media if you'd like to hear the harp in action.
My other big news is that my next book will be out soon! Readers seem to love my oh-so-prickly but fabulously determined character, Veronica McCreedy, so I've given her another penguin adventure. I do hope you'll enjoy CALL OF THE PENGUINS. It hits the UK in November and will be out in Canada in the New Year, I'm told. It's available to pre-order now (and please remember that pre-ordering really, really helps authors!) There's no news on the USA front yet I'm afraid, but all my fingers and toes are crossed that it will be available there too.
I'm excited to be appearing at Yeovil, Taunton and Exeter Literary Festivals next month. If anyone is around in southwest England do come along!
Time has this habit of evaporating and books, alas, don't write themselves. So I've decided I won't be blogging quite as much as before, but I'm going to do a very authorish thing and send out newsletters instead. Please sign up on my author website if you're interested. My next letter, by popular request, will include some writing tips as well as penguin and Exmoor content...
Books have always given me enormous comfort when times are tough. As I venture into my fourth novel I am more mindful than ever of the need for uplifting stories. In the meantime it's my hope that CALL OF THE PENGUINS will provide you with many smiles during the winter months ahead. Stay warm, stay well, and Happy Reading!
April 27, 2021
Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation
British people reading this will immediately know that my blog title refers to Radio 4’s programme, 'Just A Minute'. Here's a fact: I’d be absolutely useless if ever I was on the show. To talk, even for 60 seconds, without hesitation, repetition or deviation? I’d lose points straight away by starting with an Ummm… errrr…
I’ve been doing quite a few Zoom events recently and have noticed a massive tendency to umm and err, even if I do know (as occasionally happens) what I’m talking about. However, thinking more broadly, hesitation can sometimes be a good thing. The lockdowns we’ve experienced over the past year have forced us to stop and review the situation. A lot of people, including me, will be questioning what is really worthwhile and how we should better spend our time in the future.
Stopping to think is surely healthy. It has been a vital element in my current writing project. If I just carried on splurging out words without ever standing back to ponder what’s good, what’s bad and where I should go next, my writing would be fast but very bad. Speed really isn’t of the essence. Same goes for the harp practise. I’ve been unable to perform for so long now that I’m thinking well, perhaps there are other ways to bring harp to people without playing live: recordings, videos and such-like. There's a lot of potential there, which I probably would have dismissed before but now I'm actually quite excited about.
Then there’s repetition. Repetition. Repetition, Repetition. This is so important (so important, so important – see what I did there?) in both writing and music. Even though I remember tunes quickly in my head I would never be able to get them into my muscle memory without going over them many times. Multiple repetitions make them become natural and fluid - so important for any music, but especially for harp music.
As for the writing, you wouldn’t believe the number of times you have to go over a novel. Each chapter, each scene, each paragraph, each sentence; honing and adding and subtracting again and again as it ever edges closer to what you want it to be. This is the voice of experience here, and please know that over the last month I have been writing so hard that I am now suffering from writers’ neck, writers’ back, writers’ eyes, writers’ wrist and writers’ brain!
As for deviation, to wander away from your plan is possibly scary but probably wise. Often it leads to new discoveries. Even if you end up going where you don’t want to go, it often shows you far more clearly where you do want to go.
(This is a pic of one of my local woodland paths, always good for exploring!)
This brings me on to a change in direction for me regarding websites and blogs. Until now I’ve happily incorporated both writing and harping onto one website but they are very different things. So as well as at hazeltheharpist.co.uk with my harping hat on, you'll soon be able to find me at hazelprior.co.uk, proudly wearing my writing hat. I am thinking of starting up a newsletter too, so do sign up for the mailing list if you’re interested!
Things that last 'just a minute' can (if you're clever) be achieved in a linear way without any hesitation, repetition or deviation... BUT I fully believe that any big project, such as writing a novel or learning an instrument, is a highly experimental process and it demands them all.
And that... ummm... errr...
really is
really, really, really is
(it could be anyway, or it could be something completely different, or am I over-deviating here, or is it even possible to over-deviate?)
THAT.
I’ve been doing quite a few Zoom events recently and have noticed a massive tendency to umm and err, even if I do know (as occasionally happens) what I’m talking about. However, thinking more broadly, hesitation can sometimes be a good thing. The lockdowns we’ve experienced over the past year have forced us to stop and review the situation. A lot of people, including me, will be questioning what is really worthwhile and how we should better spend our time in the future.
Stopping to think is surely healthy. It has been a vital element in my current writing project. If I just carried on splurging out words without ever standing back to ponder what’s good, what’s bad and where I should go next, my writing would be fast but very bad. Speed really isn’t of the essence. Same goes for the harp practise. I’ve been unable to perform for so long now that I’m thinking well, perhaps there are other ways to bring harp to people without playing live: recordings, videos and such-like. There's a lot of potential there, which I probably would have dismissed before but now I'm actually quite excited about.
Then there’s repetition. Repetition. Repetition, Repetition. This is so important (so important, so important – see what I did there?) in both writing and music. Even though I remember tunes quickly in my head I would never be able to get them into my muscle memory without going over them many times. Multiple repetitions make them become natural and fluid - so important for any music, but especially for harp music.
As for the writing, you wouldn’t believe the number of times you have to go over a novel. Each chapter, each scene, each paragraph, each sentence; honing and adding and subtracting again and again as it ever edges closer to what you want it to be. This is the voice of experience here, and please know that over the last month I have been writing so hard that I am now suffering from writers’ neck, writers’ back, writers’ eyes, writers’ wrist and writers’ brain!
As for deviation, to wander away from your plan is possibly scary but probably wise. Often it leads to new discoveries. Even if you end up going where you don’t want to go, it often shows you far more clearly where you do want to go.
(This is a pic of one of my local woodland paths, always good for exploring!)
This brings me on to a change in direction for me regarding websites and blogs. Until now I’ve happily incorporated both writing and harping onto one website but they are very different things. So as well as at hazeltheharpist.co.uk with my harping hat on, you'll soon be able to find me at hazelprior.co.uk, proudly wearing my writing hat. I am thinking of starting up a newsletter too, so do sign up for the mailing list if you’re interested!
Things that last 'just a minute' can (if you're clever) be achieved in a linear way without any hesitation, repetition or deviation... BUT I fully believe that any big project, such as writing a novel or learning an instrument, is a highly experimental process and it demands them all.
And that... ummm... errr...
really is
really, really, really is
(it could be anyway, or it could be something completely different, or am I over-deviating here, or is it even possible to over-deviate?)
THAT.
March 6, 2021
Different Sides Of Strong
A lovely thing happened last week. HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA (the USA edition of AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS) was chosen as a finalist in the prestigious 'Audies' audiobook awards. I am thrilled and completely indebted to the talented narrators: Helen Lloyd, Andrew Fallaize and Mandy Williams. Foremost of these is Helen Lloyd who has put across Veronica McCreedy so powerfully - and exactly as I imagined her myself.
I will confess now that I am blown away by the affection readers have shown for my cantankerous eighty-six-year-old heroine. Some have even told me they wish Veronica McCreedy was their granny! This has made me think about the importance of strong women in fiction. A few that spring to mind are Jane Austen’s Emma, Cathy in Wuthering Heights, Miss Marple, Jane Eyre and the heroine of Rebecca. Each of these are memorable individuals, each of them is flawed but has a passion that drives them onwards.
I think my Veronica has her own unique brand of strength which is why she has struck a chord with so many people. She is colourful, brazen and stubborn. She wears bright red, brandishes a handbag like a weapon and absolutely will not take no for an answer. At the start of the novel she is harsh and judgemental about everyone. She has never allowed herself to cry because she sees this as a sign of weakness. Because she has been through wartime tragedy she has developed a very tough hide. Only over the course of the novel do we discover that she also has a very big heart.
But there’s another kind of strength too, which I believe is just as admirable. This is the ‘strength in vulnerability’ that I gave to the heroine of my first novel, ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER. At the start of the story Ellie Jacobs suffers from a chronic lack of self-confidence. This is not because she is the ‘limpet’ she jokingly calls herself, but because all her decisions have been undermined throughout her entire life. She has suffered this cruel and (sometimes) subtle form of psychological abuse first from her mother and then from her husband. Unlike Veronica, Ellie is determined to see the good in everyone. She may have blind spots but she is no wimp. Katharine McEwan, who brilliantly reads Ellie’s voice in the audiobook, describes her as ‘so strong’. What would be easy for a Veronica is a hundred times more difficult for an Ellie, and it takes immense strength for her to push forward and break her chains. What’s more, Ellie is persistently kind to everyone.
A writer, like an actor, must strive to understand what it’s like to be somebody else. And when we create a character, it must always be someone who is strong enough and passionate enough to drive the plot. Thankfully, within this, we have endless choices. There are many, many different sides of strong.
I will confess now that I am blown away by the affection readers have shown for my cantankerous eighty-six-year-old heroine. Some have even told me they wish Veronica McCreedy was their granny! This has made me think about the importance of strong women in fiction. A few that spring to mind are Jane Austen’s Emma, Cathy in Wuthering Heights, Miss Marple, Jane Eyre and the heroine of Rebecca. Each of these are memorable individuals, each of them is flawed but has a passion that drives them onwards.
I think my Veronica has her own unique brand of strength which is why she has struck a chord with so many people. She is colourful, brazen and stubborn. She wears bright red, brandishes a handbag like a weapon and absolutely will not take no for an answer. At the start of the novel she is harsh and judgemental about everyone. She has never allowed herself to cry because she sees this as a sign of weakness. Because she has been through wartime tragedy she has developed a very tough hide. Only over the course of the novel do we discover that she also has a very big heart.
But there’s another kind of strength too, which I believe is just as admirable. This is the ‘strength in vulnerability’ that I gave to the heroine of my first novel, ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER. At the start of the story Ellie Jacobs suffers from a chronic lack of self-confidence. This is not because she is the ‘limpet’ she jokingly calls herself, but because all her decisions have been undermined throughout her entire life. She has suffered this cruel and (sometimes) subtle form of psychological abuse first from her mother and then from her husband. Unlike Veronica, Ellie is determined to see the good in everyone. She may have blind spots but she is no wimp. Katharine McEwan, who brilliantly reads Ellie’s voice in the audiobook, describes her as ‘so strong’. What would be easy for a Veronica is a hundred times more difficult for an Ellie, and it takes immense strength for her to push forward and break her chains. What’s more, Ellie is persistently kind to everyone.
A writer, like an actor, must strive to understand what it’s like to be somebody else. And when we create a character, it must always be someone who is strong enough and passionate enough to drive the plot. Thankfully, within this, we have endless choices. There are many, many different sides of strong.
February 5, 2021
A Penguin At Heart
It’s an emotional thing being a writer. We have to get right inside the characters we create, and we feel every knock, dilemma and disappointment that we put them through. The pain is unavoidable; with no pain there is no story. This is true even for an uplifting read – and uplifting reads seem to be my speciality. My characters really have to fight for that happy ending (I hope I’m not giving too much away here!)
Not only are we writers daily plunged into the turmoil of our characters; we’re also loaded with issues about the quality of our writing and readers’ reactions to it. We look at other writers with envy, wish we could do what they do, maybe achieve the recognition they have achieved. We are devastated when a reader doesn’t like what we’ve written. In this day and age when everything is ‘rated’ it’s all too easy to dwell on negative reviews. No matter how well you write there will always be readers who have a different sense of humour, who prefer something darker or lighter or more twisty or more cosy or more straightforward or more complex or more obvious or more subtle…
Here’s the wisest advice I’ve seen about dealing with this: Don’t try to please everyone. It’s impossible. Instead you need to ‘find your tribe,’ find the specific readers who will understand, love and relate to your writing.
Do you know, I’m beginning to do just that! Only I’m not going to call it a ‘tribe’, I’m going to call it a ‘penguin colony’.
Penguins have (rightly) taken centre stage in many of my blogs recently. I’ve said how much we need to emulate them in terms of their bravery and endurance. But during this long, lonely, locked-down January I’ve seen that they also illustrate our need for friends, family and community. Penguins are sociable creatures. They live in huge colonies and wouldn’t survive as loners.
Like the penguins, I’m trying to adapt to changing conditions. Social media has its failings but, when it works well, it is a friendly sharing of views and interests, good company and a mutual support system. It is also one of the bridges where writers and readers can meet. I joined Twitter many years ago, but over the summer I took the plunge and joined Instagram too. This was exasperating at first, especially when I discovered you can only post through a phone and my phone was too old to be compatible! Posting any photo involves first emailing it to my husband and then borrowing his phone and downloading it again. But I’m glad I persisted. I've found a new community here and connected with more book lovers, writers, readers, musicians and penguin fans.
Zoom is another new element in my life. I haven’t fully exploited it before and I now realise how much it can offer. I’ve missed live music terribly over the past year so I’ve recently joined an online choir. I’ve got some Zoom author events lined up too, so that I can talk to readers and answer their questions. I’m scared… but glad!
You never know where these things will take you. I replied to a reader’s comment on Instagram last week and received an impromptu invitation to join in a Zoom book club meeting which was about to happen. The group were all set to discuss Away With The Penguins (USA edition = How The Penguins Saved Veronica). So I gate-crashed their club and was amazed to find I was speaking to readers in Scotland, New York, Saudi Arabia and Dubai! It was a lovely if brief insight into their own varied lives as well as a revelation about what readers are getting from my book. I was touched by many of the wise comments made by members of the group about the underlying messages and themes.
I spend a lot of my life grappling with words, trying to make them express something of the human condition through stories. The knowledge that readers all over the world are with me in my thinking, in my caring for my characters… well, it’s priceless.
Although I'm meeting very few people physically at the moment, it’s made me realise I am still a penguin at heart - still part of a huge, lively and fascinating colony.
Not only are we writers daily plunged into the turmoil of our characters; we’re also loaded with issues about the quality of our writing and readers’ reactions to it. We look at other writers with envy, wish we could do what they do, maybe achieve the recognition they have achieved. We are devastated when a reader doesn’t like what we’ve written. In this day and age when everything is ‘rated’ it’s all too easy to dwell on negative reviews. No matter how well you write there will always be readers who have a different sense of humour, who prefer something darker or lighter or more twisty or more cosy or more straightforward or more complex or more obvious or more subtle…
Here’s the wisest advice I’ve seen about dealing with this: Don’t try to please everyone. It’s impossible. Instead you need to ‘find your tribe,’ find the specific readers who will understand, love and relate to your writing.
Do you know, I’m beginning to do just that! Only I’m not going to call it a ‘tribe’, I’m going to call it a ‘penguin colony’.
Penguins have (rightly) taken centre stage in many of my blogs recently. I’ve said how much we need to emulate them in terms of their bravery and endurance. But during this long, lonely, locked-down January I’ve seen that they also illustrate our need for friends, family and community. Penguins are sociable creatures. They live in huge colonies and wouldn’t survive as loners.
Like the penguins, I’m trying to adapt to changing conditions. Social media has its failings but, when it works well, it is a friendly sharing of views and interests, good company and a mutual support system. It is also one of the bridges where writers and readers can meet. I joined Twitter many years ago, but over the summer I took the plunge and joined Instagram too. This was exasperating at first, especially when I discovered you can only post through a phone and my phone was too old to be compatible! Posting any photo involves first emailing it to my husband and then borrowing his phone and downloading it again. But I’m glad I persisted. I've found a new community here and connected with more book lovers, writers, readers, musicians and penguin fans.
Zoom is another new element in my life. I haven’t fully exploited it before and I now realise how much it can offer. I’ve missed live music terribly over the past year so I’ve recently joined an online choir. I’ve got some Zoom author events lined up too, so that I can talk to readers and answer their questions. I’m scared… but glad!
You never know where these things will take you. I replied to a reader’s comment on Instagram last week and received an impromptu invitation to join in a Zoom book club meeting which was about to happen. The group were all set to discuss Away With The Penguins (USA edition = How The Penguins Saved Veronica). So I gate-crashed their club and was amazed to find I was speaking to readers in Scotland, New York, Saudi Arabia and Dubai! It was a lovely if brief insight into their own varied lives as well as a revelation about what readers are getting from my book. I was touched by many of the wise comments made by members of the group about the underlying messages and themes.
I spend a lot of my life grappling with words, trying to make them express something of the human condition through stories. The knowledge that readers all over the world are with me in my thinking, in my caring for my characters… well, it’s priceless.
Although I'm meeting very few people physically at the moment, it’s made me realise I am still a penguin at heart - still part of a huge, lively and fascinating colony.
January 1, 2021
Random Anxious Clumsy Hopeful
I seem to remember there was a book that was written all in on sentence and it won a very prestigious prize and thats what im going to do here right now because my mind is staggering around in post christmas midwinter exhaustion random anxious clumsy patterns and im going light on punctuation too because in for a penny in for a pound
im allowed a new paragraph and i feel i should say something profound about 2020 but surely the less said about that nasty gnarly knotty old year the better any lesson that can be drawn from it has already been pointed out many times we are tired of it by now tired of trying to see the bright side and telling each other to hang in there not that im complaining mind you because life in this little corner of exmoor is actually ok thank you for asking wow im lucky oh so lucky
in spite of feeling down about the lack of music this christmas and the illness and grief on a global scale i do have to say how pleased i am that my book at least ended the year on a high i might just mention the fact it was a number one bestseller yes a bestseller corrr a number one bestseller in ebook on amazon although the cynical side of me says this is because its been very well publicised and is nothing to do with how good it is still readers are saying its helped them through all the isolation and worries and made them smile which makes me very proud it also provides something for me to hold on to when im drowning in my own dark sea of selfdoubt
i love readers
i really do
then there is my once upon a book club box which came all the way from america with a book of twelve stories and a gorgeous gift to go with each of the stories
the final story to be read on christmas day was written by me and youll see me here modelling the twelfth gift a book page blanket with the first page of alice in wonderland printed on it and im also modelling a lovely warm hat which was day 2s gift what fun
for very good reasons the book ive been working on all year has been put aside and ive started a completely different project which is a relief in some ways but a big pressure in others deadlines are already looming and i need to shake off my sluggishness in super-quick time and try and sort out a new plot arrrrrgh
but before too long there will be snowdrops and sunshine and spring and longer days and hugs and a vaccination so in spite of all the random anxious clumsy mess of my mind i am also extremely hopeful
this has been an experiment and strangely liberating but i promise i wont do it again at least not for another year and i certainly wont write a novel this way thank you for bearing with me you are amazing
stay safe
i wish you a very very happy new year
im allowed a new paragraph and i feel i should say something profound about 2020 but surely the less said about that nasty gnarly knotty old year the better any lesson that can be drawn from it has already been pointed out many times we are tired of it by now tired of trying to see the bright side and telling each other to hang in there not that im complaining mind you because life in this little corner of exmoor is actually ok thank you for asking wow im lucky oh so lucky
in spite of feeling down about the lack of music this christmas and the illness and grief on a global scale i do have to say how pleased i am that my book at least ended the year on a high i might just mention the fact it was a number one bestseller yes a bestseller corrr a number one bestseller in ebook on amazon although the cynical side of me says this is because its been very well publicised and is nothing to do with how good it is still readers are saying its helped them through all the isolation and worries and made them smile which makes me very proud it also provides something for me to hold on to when im drowning in my own dark sea of selfdoubt
i love readers
i really do
then there is my once upon a book club box which came all the way from america with a book of twelve stories and a gorgeous gift to go with each of the stories
the final story to be read on christmas day was written by me and youll see me here modelling the twelfth gift a book page blanket with the first page of alice in wonderland printed on it and im also modelling a lovely warm hat which was day 2s gift what fun
for very good reasons the book ive been working on all year has been put aside and ive started a completely different project which is a relief in some ways but a big pressure in others deadlines are already looming and i need to shake off my sluggishness in super-quick time and try and sort out a new plot arrrrrgh
but before too long there will be snowdrops and sunshine and spring and longer days and hugs and a vaccination so in spite of all the random anxious clumsy mess of my mind i am also extremely hopeful
this has been an experiment and strangely liberating but i promise i wont do it again at least not for another year and i certainly wont write a novel this way thank you for bearing with me you are amazing
stay safe
i wish you a very very happy new year
