I’m happy to report my pitch went well, as did my first page critique at the Discovery Day event in London, organised by literary agents at Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh.
I got so much out of the day, and I’ll be blogging about it soon when I’m back from the beautiful city of York 🙂
Crime writer, Rebecca Bradley, was kind enough to post an interview on her blog about the first draft of my new manuscript. I think it’s really interesting to see how other authors tackle a new book and how they approach research. Rebecca regularly posts interviews on an authors first draft, so her blog is well worth following so you don’t miss out 🙂
I’m pleased to welcome today’s first drafter, crime writer TME Walsh.
Tania (T. M. E.) started writing her crime series, featuring the tough DCI Claire Winters, when she became a casualty to the recession in late 2008.
The first DCI Claire Winters novel ‘For All Our Sins’ was published in February 2011 by a small independent publisher but the rights to the work have now reverted back to the author. The novel has had a re-write and is now available on Amazon Kindle.
Earlier this year ‘For All Our Sins’ was entered into a competition run by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. Tania was one of 32 authors, out of over 400 entrants, who made the first round but narrowly missed out on the longlist.
The second novel to feature DCI Winters, ‘The Principle of Evil’, was requested by three different literary agencies since being on submission, but Tania has yet to find…
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A big thank you to Diana for nominating me for ‘The Award Winning Blog’ ‘Has been Blessed Again’ award.
Diana started her site ‘Selections of Reflections’ after compiling an elderly friend’s memoirs, because it didn’t fit into her other blog which focusses on history, the English Channel Islands and events related to her Riduna Series.
Diana’s first book ‘Riduna’ was published by the same independent press as my first novel (‘For All Our Sins’ paperback in 2011) and she has been a constant source of support, not only for me, but to fellow ‘indie’ authors in general, sharing tips and giving honest feedback.
Since joining Word Press, I’ve come across some fantastic blogs by other authors and poets, both those supporting ‘indie’ authors, as well as those striving for the traditional publishing deal.
With that in mind I would like to nominate the following people for this award:
1. Laura Crean who has some lovely fantasy stories and poems worth checking out, especially if you have children.
2) Michelle Welch regularly posts very interesting topics to do with writing and she has numerous fiction available to download now. ‘The Sea Between The Worlds’ is her latest novel.
3) Chris BJ’s blog is dedicated to her writing and photography. She has some great images worth checking out and has had articles published in various magazines. She has shown me a lot of support, and definitely deserves a nomination.
4) Steven Fox’s blog already has an amazing following, but he is worthy of an award. Posts are not just dedicated to his writing – you’ll find a lot to interest pretty much every one.
5) Kevin Brennan has just released his novel ‘Yesterday Road’ which I hope to read soon. Kevin has been published by HarperColins in the past and has had a lot of experience of literary agents. He is now a self-published author and his blog is well worth a follow.
Here are the rules:
1. Post a link to my blog and the award/awards image or images you accept on your website.
2. Say a few things about the one (me) who gave you the award.
3. Tell us fun stuff about yourself.
4. Share the wealth with others as you see fit. How you choose to do that is entirely up to you.
Fellow blogger and author, Diana Jackson, has taken the time to interview me about my second novel ‘THE PRINCIPLE OF EVIL’ on her blog.
Go and take a look, all comments etc welcome.
A big thank you to Diana for taking time away from her own writing projects to help promote mine 🙂
“Us writers need to stick together”
A very moving piece, with a poignant final line.
He scanned the contents of her desk out of curiosity, quietly assessing what her life had been like in his absence. There was only a notebook, a pen, and a mildly abused ashtray. He pondered what genius came up with the idea of crafting such an aesthetically pleasing object to contain the remains of cancer inducing dust.
She sat with her legs crossed, knees close to her chest, her mismatched socks stood out brightly against her otherwise plain dress. With a book in one hand and a cigarette in the other, she was attractive in a damaged goods kind of way. Lips you’d like to kiss but only infrequently. The sort of girl you’d allow to spend the night, but couldn’t wait for her to leave in the morning.
He wished he could say they sat there in a comfortable silence like the old days, but things had changed. She’d…
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I know technically my short story isn’t classed as horror, but it does involve murder, so in the spirit of Halloween, ‘Broken Palace’ is free today on Amazon.
It also includes excerpts from both my novels, ‘For All Our Sins’ and ‘The Principle of Evil’.
Please feel free to share, re-blog and generally spread the word – everyone loves a freebie 😉
Everyone has a secret.
Sometimes the secret is innocent enough, sometimes it’s questionable. Then there are secrets that a far more sinister.
Some choose to save a loved one from any further pain. Some make the wrong choice for their own selfish reasons. Some find a ‘Broken Palace’ to hide a dark deed.
The mystery surrounding Earl Mason’s death looks likely to become another cold case for Detective Inspector Davis, but a new face is emerging in Haverbridge CID and he can be sure of one thing – once she’s on the hunt, she won’t stop.
For Jennifer, who reluctantly finds herself in the limelight, it means she must decide who she can trust.
Great post. I often feel a little guilty if I haven’t kept up to date with my blog, but writing my novels will always be my priority.
When I began my blog two years ago I was reading a lot of other blogs which kept saying writers needed a platform. The extolled the virtues of building this platform so you have a ready-made gang of readers when you get published. Many of them posted 2 to 3 times a week. As I said in my first ever blog post, I was slightly sceptical about an unpublished writer having a blog. After all, being strictly amateur, what could I possibly have to share with others? But as I’ve gone along learning more about writing and also about self-publishing I’ve realised that I do have something share.
Some might say I’ve not taken blogging seriously. I’ve never been a regular blogger. I don’t have a specific day when I post. Yes, I stockpile posts but I don’t have a strict schedule. You see, in answer the question above, I…
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I know technically my short story isn’t classed as horror, but it does involve murder, so in the spirit of Halloween, ‘Broken Palace’ will be free for one day only on October 31st.
I’m sure we’ve all done this at some point. I watch the UK Apprentice, and every time someone has to get up and pitch to a room full of strangers, I hear the voice in my head saying, ‘I’m so glad I don’t have to do that.’
Famous last words?
Some of you may remember I blogged about the Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh Discovery Day held at Foyles bookstore in London next month. (It’s here, if you missed it last time.)
It was August when I found out I had a chance to pitch an agent and somehow it felt like I had all the time in the world to write and perfect what I was going to say, and suddenly, that time has flown by and I now have two weeks and three days until I have to stand up and stand out.
I’m starting to panic a little as I realise that –
A) I’ve never delivered a ‘verbal’ pitch before in my life, and . . .
B) I’m staring at a blank page!
Yep, that’s right, I’ve not even started it! That’s not to say I’ve not thought about it – I have – but that’s as far as I’ve got.
It may seem like I still have a long time (and for some people, it is plenty of time). Unfortunately not for me. I like to be organised, and considering I spent two weeks trying to perfect cover letters for my submissions, I’m feeling a tad under pressure.
This is where the Word Press community comes in, I hope.
I’m after some tips. I could look up everything on the internet (and I will do some research) but sometimes the best tips come from people who have had first-hand experience of pitching.
How do you start it? Do I use up all my 30 seconds? Do I use notes (they are allowed) or do I free-style? First impressions count – an agent has to like you as well as your book – pressure!
I could go on, but I might drive myself nuts over thinking everything.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Both my DCI Claire Winters novels, ‘For All Our Sins’ (re-released) and ‘The Principle of Evil’ are out today on Amazon Kindle. I will also be looking at making the novels available on other eBook formats.
Don’t forget – You don’t need a Kindle to download these books. You can download the FREE Kindle app for your PC, iPhone, iPad and other Android devices 🙂
The books are written in a way that they can be read in any sequence. Although they are part of a series, they can be read like a standalone novel. There isn’t any spoilers about book one, in book two.
To those of you who have waited for the second novel, thank you for your patience. There have been several delays for various reasons.
Those of you who regularly follow my blog – a huge ‘thank you’, by the way! – may remember that it has always been a goal of mine to secure a literary agent and then find a traditional publishing deal.
That is still my ultimate goal at the moment but there are reasons I’m choosing to self-publish my work at present.
Out of the two books, ‘The Principle of Evil’ is my favourite. I feel my writing has noticeably matured since the first book and the plot is much tighter.
‘For All Our Sins’ had one request for the full MS by an agent, whereas ‘The Principle of Evil’ has had three literary agencies interested to date. It is definitely the better received of the two books.
So why self-publish?
Anyone reading this who has sent their work out on submission will know just how hard it is securing a literary agent. The route to becoming a traditionally published author can be disheartening, and thankless. It’s rare you get any feedback, other than a ‘thanks, but no thanks’.
If you get several requests for a full MS it’s very encouraging, but still doesn’t guarantee you’ll be offered representation. Anyone who has experienced this will share my frustration when you are rejected because an agent thinks they’ll have a hard job selling your work to a publisher, despite having excellent feedback about your work.
Talk about so near yet so far!
Those in the business obviously have more of an insight and a wide knowledge of what’s selling and what a publisher is looking for. I do appreciate the detailed feedback I’ve had from these agents.
One thing that is important to remember, however, is that one person’s opinion on your work is just that – an opinion.
Crime is a very competitive and overcrowded genre. It’s hard to stand out and be 100% original. ‘If it can be done, it has been done’, to quote a friend of mine.
Anyone who is a veteran at sending their work to agents will know that, sometimes the only reason that you got a rejection is because an agent or publisher doesn’t see the sales potential in your work – especially if you’re a début author.
Whether you think it’s fair or not – publishing is a business after all – it’s a cold hard fact.
I’ve now decided to self-publish because I believe my novels have a readership.
My work may not be selling as many copies as those in the top ten, but if readers write a review, tell me they love a story or a character, it means a lot to me, and encourages me to carry on publishing my work.
I’m ambitious though. I do hope someday I’ll achieve my overall dream of walking into a big retailer and seeing hardback copies of my novel on the shelf, and it’s a dream shared by many, I’m sure.
Being an author can be tough. It’s not easy, but things that are worth striving for are rarely handed to you on a plate. You have to work for what you want.
If you download a copy of the book(s), please be kind enough to post a review. If you like them, please spread the word! Word-of-mouth is the best way of getting books to new readers.
If you’re a fellow ‘indie’ author, keep writing, hone your craft and support other authors. Us writers need to stick together.
*note* for some reason if you download a sample of book one, you get the old file, even though the ‘Look inside’ section on Amazon shows the new one – weird. Hoping Amazon sort this ASAP.
T. M. E. WALSH 
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