Pushing Water Uphill...

Why is it that when you've got an extremely long list of tasks to do, you suddenly feel the rain pattering on your head....?  Yes, there's no escaping from the fact that you've caught the dreaded winter bugs.

  Things tend to get thrown in your path when you least expect them. That's life, apparently....   Take it from me, there's no point thinking you're doomed. The world will still be spinning around you and you'll still be needed to get on with the chores at hand, so, when it all feels impossible, break the rules and snap the word in two.  I'm Possible.

Go on, don't take it lying down (as the cold and flue remedy adverts say!)

 

Pick yourself up and try again... It'll get better, it always does!

I hereby declare 'The Dancer's Ghost' launched...

I was simply staggered by the generosity of everyone who came to Hitchin Library last night to celebrate the release of 'The Dancer's Ghost'.

 

 

Hitchin Library did me proud, I have to say, and the turn out was amazing.  Many thanks to all of you who came along.  The free feature cake was delicious and the chocolates and drinks seemed to go down a treat.

 

When I was a little girl, my parents took my sisters and I to the library. Surprise, surprise, I was hooked. At one time I even said I wanted to work in the library when I grew up. Of course, as so often, life takes us down an unexpected path and I ended elsewhere, but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying the library.

 

My little niece celebrated her fourth birthday recently.  When my sister picked her up from pre-school, she said "now little miss, we can go anywhere you like, the pirate adventure land, the giant soft play arena, the beach even, where do you want to go?"  Little birthday girl didn't hesitate, and assertively insisted that she wanted to go to the library.

 

Hurray - success, a new reader has been born!  Of course it may help that Aunty Jayne's books are on the shelves and she knows she has a copy of her own (waiting safely until she's old enough to read it, naturally).

 

My niece and nephew have been to the library every week without fail for the duration of their young lives, and the pattern looks set to continue.  This is the future, the way to secure a new generation of literature lovers, and it highlights the benefits of the library; a community place.

 

If you see anything to help 'save the library' anywhere in the UK (or even the world) please add your name to the cause. It really is a magical place where words come alive, which brings me back to last night's launch party.  Without the library, the party wouldn't have had a venue. It's quite simply a great place to be, whatever the occasion.



 

I've had to work very hard to get this far into my writing career but every tiny bit was worth it when I looked out at the crowd waiting to hear me speak about my third novel. I still can't quite believe that people actually took themselves out of their nice warm homes on a dark November evening, just for me.  It just goes to prove that if you really want to achieve something, and work hard enough, you can do it.  Nothing worth having ever lands in your lap!

 

If you take anything from my blog site, let it be this: whatever it is you want to achieve in your own lives, make it happen. You'll be pleased you put in that extra effort, when it all starts to pay off!

 

Keep watching for the photographs of last night's party.

Facebook author page: http://t.co/V1pP6dqA

Find me on Twitter:  @JayneMarieBarke

Visit my website: www.jaynemariebarker.com

 





Through the looking glass...

 

 



Promoting your work is a bit like looking through the looking glass... the future.  You're not quite sure how things will turn out. Everything can look very distorted.

It's a strange thing to do when you're not used to it. If anyone knows the secret to it, I'd be grateful to learn!

When I was a small child we had a succession of family pets, as most families do. We had fish, rabbits, birds, a cat, but no, we didn't have a dog. On several occasions we came home from school to find mother had moved the fish or birds away from the cat's line of vision. When my first novel was published, I felt much like the cat peering through the fish bowl. What you see isn't quite the reality that you face.

After a while of stumbling about in the dark, it becomes easier. I promise! If you're new to promoting a product, whether it's a book, a new business, a friend's career, then believe me, it'll get better in time.

Talking in Public

Have you ever been asked to make a speech... Best Man at wedding springs to mind, not that I'll ever have to do this - thankfully!!

If the occasion arises, here are some basic hints and tips to help you.

1. Plan your talk with the occasion in mind.  Think about the event and the audience you'll going to address.  Use a tone of voice that is appropriate e.g. sombre for a funeral or memorial service, serious for a political address, informal for a family party, humorous for a wedding speech, and so on). 

2. Remember how long you've got to fill, and time yourself speaking out loud.  We often speak much faster than we write... remember this invaluable tip!

3.Think about your first line. It needs to grab the attention of those listening. Most people employ a joke to open their talk, or something to raise a chuckle.  If it's a serious talk maybe a thought-provoking question or statement would be best.  After about 40 seconds the introduction needs to be wrapped up and the real talk beginning...

4. List your items to cover simply so you can refer to this during the talk, if you need to.

5. Organise your list of items so they support and build on each other, and add or take out those points that don't fit into your theme.

6. Go out on a high!  As well as starting well, you need to finish with style. Make sure you summarise everything you've said and clarify anything that could have been unclear.  It is normal to conclude and then open the floor to questions, if the occasion demands.

7. When it's ready, read it out loud several times and time yourself. I've mentioned this already but it can't be emphasised enough. Imagine your own horror if you go up there and find you've got twenty minutes left to free fall... some people can fill this time with ease but it's not for everyone!

8. The free Cs': Crisp, Clear, Compelling.

9. If you can, ask someone to read your talk before you deliver it.  Check for any errors, spellings etc. Check that it's appropriate for the event you're speaking at.  Remember to thank those who invited you to speak, the host, and the audience for turning up and listening to you!

And that's about it... one last thing. Don't forget to practise!

It's been a roller coaster ride so far...

The last three years have been a roller coaster ride in the writing world. I've learnt more than I realised there was to learn, achieved a fair amount, made the odd mistake along the way... however, that's how most of find our feet in life so I'm not complaining. Here's a glimpse of the story so far....

 



 

Sometimes love can be a shortcut to heaven - literally!

A gift from the dead? Sophie Harris thinks so until her appointed handyman - the delectable Andy - unearths skeletons in the garden of her inherited new home.
Could a secret murderer lurk in her family tree?
Simultaneously the buried victims live on in their own time - 1930's - as their story breaths through Elise's diary. The touching love story twists through intrigue and heartfelt sympathy; but can happiness ever be theirs?
Delving into family secrets, Sophie finds herself at the mercy of a poisonous pen, her life threatened - just how far will they go to keep the truth hidden...?
Police efforts do nothing to dent the poison pen's composure and a plot to murder Sophie begins to take shape. With the truth inches from revelation, Sophie is left clutching at the jaws of death; but will the police arrive in time?
HS ISBN 9871 84963 0733

Published May 2011, I was quite literally leaping around the house with delight when this came out; my first published novel.  It was a day I'll never forget.

 One shot in the dark, and everything changes...  When Richard Burkett shoots his victim in 1935, and gets away with it, he doesn't expect to be

caught over seventy years later. The death of one man can affect so many lives...

Zoe Peterson is shocked to find two police detectives one being the captivating DC James Clark interviewing her grandparents about an unsolved murder.
Simultaneously Cathy and Stephen endure emotional turmoil in 1957. The revelation of her father's identity frightens Cathy.
Zoe is concerned about her father's health and her ex won't accept her ditching him; until James plants his size twelve's firmly into her life. Will finding the dying gunman and earning her grandparents' gratitude be enough for James to win Zoe's heart?
In 1957 someone is stalking Cathy, the shadows following her, the darkness choking her, until breaking point finds her in Stephen's arms and the awful secret is revealed. Wedded bliss could so easily be snatched away by terminal heartbreak.
A chance comment reminds James that the identity of the victim is more important than that of the murderer...
HS ISBN 9781849631761

October 2012 saw the release of 'Distant Shadows'. I was even more thrilled, if that's possible, when this second novel was published. This tale had resided in my writing files and my heart for almost ten years by the time it came to see the light of day.  The characters and the story long pre-dated those in 'Beneath The Daisies', but happened to emerge second.

Where we come from can change everything...  When a baby is snatched the famous parents keep the tragedy secret, but this doesn't prevent Joyce Capelli from searching, attracting trouble at every turn. An anonymous writer claims to know everything, but it will cost Joyce more than she realises. When a shot is fired all she finds is an open window, and a room of photographs.

In the modern day Rebecca Houseman finds herself widowed, suffering persistent dreams, and threatened. What she doesn't know is why. When the unconventional DCI Allen says her husband's apparent natural causes was in fact murder, she wonders what he was trying to tell her in his final breath.
A stranger is watching the Houseman family, an unsettling familiarity that could change everything. As the attempts grow increasingly deadly, the inspector strives to solve the case, but can he crack the mystery before the assassin finds Rebecca?
Meanwhile, in the 1960s, Joyce's delight at finding her baby is tragically short lived. What could ink Rebecca Houseman and the young dancer's missing baby all those years ago?
HS ISBN 9781849633291
In approximately six weeks time my third novel will be released from the publishers presses. This third novel represents a whole wealth of personal subject knowledge and passion, so I'm ever keen that readers enjoy it.  The mystery is more complex in some ways, and simpler in others, but you'll have to read it to find out what I mean! There is plenty of edge of your seat action, which I hope you'll enjoy!

Fitting it all in....

Do you ever feel as if you're running against the clock?



 I often find myself dashing from one task to the next and trying to cram the day with as much as possible... it's quite a challenge. Many of you are nodding along to this... yes, I know, it's a common feeling.

 

When I was a very young student I had four jobs and two separate study timetables, spread over a 30-mile radius. At the time I used my driving lessons as a means of getting myself from one point to another, as well as the train, the good old-fashioned bicycle and of course the daily sprint; dodging other people in the mad dash through the city centre.

 

I must have been mad... fit certainly, but when I look back at this crazy period in my life, I realise it is probably to thank for having taught me the skill of time management.  To this day, I think about the order I do things in. For example, switch on the washing machine first, then clean the house, and by the time the cleaning is done, the washing is probably ready to hang out.  A very simple example of course, and one which most people have probably adopted without having dashed across the lands to have learnt! However, if you take this principle and expand on it, you'll find you can fit a whole lot more into your day.

 

Having filled the days now to maximum capacity, I often find the only solution left is to get up ever earlier... but I must confess that I think I have now reached my limit, and increasingly find myself struggling to rise when the alarm clocks jolts me into wakefulness.  Perhaps it is time for another review of the situation... So long as you can keep going then do just that, and fill your life with as much as you can. It's my only method of keeping up with the demands of every day life whilst managing to 'have a life' at the same time. Does anyone else feel the same?

 

The only problem then left to fix is how to deal with being completely shattered at the end of it!

'The Dancer's Ghost' FREE Launch Party!

'The Dancer's Ghost' due for release end of October 2013.

Pop along for the FREE launch party on 7th November from 7.30pm at Hitchin Library, Paynes Park, Hitchin SG5 1EW

FREE entry, free refreshments including feature cake, talk, Q&A and book signing opportunity. Email me with any queries: contact@jaynemariebarker.com

Full details www.jaynemariebarker.com

JM Barker - the brand new newsletter!!

I've just discovered the online newsletter... it's free and fabulous!

Take a look and let me know what you think!

>JM Barker - Newsletter

The Creative Twist!

As people, we seem intent on categorising everything; the emails in our inbox, the type of film or TV channel we watch, the food we like to eat, and the books we like to read. We can't seem to help ourselves. Even the clothes in the high street shops fall under categories e.g. tall, petite, casual, smart, evening, occasion, work wear. The list is endless. Why do we feel the need to do this? Is it simply to be organised?  Whatever the reason, the same applies to the creative writing industry.

 

Do you know what genre you like to read, or write?  Few people could name it without hesitation. Ask a friend or two what types of books they like to read and they'll quote titles and probably authors by name. Some may say 'I like crime fiction' or 'I live for romance books or sagas'.

 

When you start to write a book for the first time, it is often the last thing you think about, the shelf it would fit onto in the shop. The industry will want to know which shelf your novel slides onto. I learnt this valuable lesson very early on. My publisher told me that I had written a romantic thriller, which meant a cross over between romance and crime. I thought I had written a mystery.

 

If we didn't have categories in the bookshop, would you read something you'd never normally find? I wonder how many books we would enjoy if we didn't stride with purpose to our usual badged shelf. There are plenty of cross over genre books, and most would be enjoyed by many, so next time you're in the bookshop take a stroll around and open your eyes. You may just find a hidden gem.

 

Amazon and Kindle in particular have debated this point already. It is said that ebooks offer readers a wider choice less restricted by categories. Do you agree?

 

 

It's worth thinking about early on if you're writing a book, believe me, and crafting your masterpiece with this knowledge in mind. However, it's not the end of the world. All that really matters is that you write the story that you want to tell.

Catching up...

The third Inspector Allen Mystery will be released very soon - 'The Dancer's Ghost'. Catch up with the first two quickly - 'Beneath The Daisies' and 'Distant Shadows'.



 





Details of 'The Dancer's Ghost' and the first two novels available on my website:  www.jaynemariebarker.com