SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
48 APRIL 2020 http://www.writers-online.co.ukBIG
NOVEL
WIN‘A thrilling day for a thriller writer!’, writes
subscriber David Laws.
‘I’ve just had a huge confidence boost with
the announcement that my third novel, The
Maze Kids, has won the 2019 Yeovil Literary
Prize for novels.
‘The story, about a young teacher’s attempt
to rescue 27 orphans from Nazi Germany in
the midst of war, has yet to find a publisher,
but as a result of the competition I have high
hopes for it.
‘I was honoured to visit the Yeovil Literary
Festival in November to attend a gathering
of winners (other categories included short
stories and poetry) and to give a reading
from the manuscript.
‘The novel prize, which comes with a
handsome cheque, won praise from the
judge, author Vaseem Khan, who said: “I
loved the concept. The idea of a band of
dispossessed children hiding out in Nazi
Germany, in danger of discovery and of
being shot, imprisoned or sent to the
concentration camps, and the daring rescue
attempt to save them.
‘“This is a book that works on many levels:
as a thriller, an old-fashioned adventure yarn,
a wartime escape story, a historical account,
and a romance... it grabbed me by the throat
from its opening pages and drew me in.”
‘The Maze Kids follows two previous thriller
novels – Munich, The Man Who Said No!
(Mr Chamberlain, Munich and all that) and
Exit Day (Brexit, spies and conspiracy) which
were self-published this year at last under the
Troubador imprint.
‘Writing, as everyone knows, is a lonely
business afflicted by doubt and frustration
in the struggle to become published. This
to me is a landmark event cancelling out
all the reversals of the past and a great
encouragement for the future. I’m now
working full blast on novel No 4 about a
suffragette aviator.’‘I wrote Step Away from the Sofa as part of my ongoing mission to
divorce people from their sofas,’ writes subscriber Ellie Kennedy.
‘I wanted to show ladies (I can only write from a female point of
view!) that there is a whole world of doing and being out there.
‘Each chapter covers one activity, some of which I’ve experienced myself and some that
are beckoning to me from my growing bucket list. Swimming with whale sharks currently
tops the list.
‘I’ve written about bungee jumping, combing the Egyptian Desert looking for pre-
Dynastic rock art and facing down Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link.
‘After learning how Scrivener, the book writing software, worked I formatted my
book for Kindle and self-published on Amazon.
‘Shortly after publication I decided to follow my own advice again and I upped sticks,
sold everything and with my seventeen-year-old rescue cat Poppy and the help of an
ageing Renault Megane I towed a caravan nicknamed “The Catavan” around the UK. I
met some amazing people along the way and acquired several caravanning skills such as
wiring up solar panels, using a remote to park the ‘van and driving around roundabouts
without endangering unsuspecting road users.
‘I currently have a few notebooks filled with my jottings from the
journey and I hope to publish The Big Girls’ Guide to Caravanning
very soon, possibly followed by The Big Girls’ Guide on What to
do with a Great White Shark! However these ideas are currently
competing with the urge to write a crime novel as an open prison
close to me has just opened a cafe on site for the public to use. It’s
got plugs for laptops and free wifi and just begs for crime novelists to
come in and write.’On the activity trail
‘The dramatic North East countryside provides the inspiration for
my third novel, Awakening,’ writes subscriber Chris Ord.
‘I accepted voluntary redundancy from Gateshead Council
in August 2015. Having left a job of fifteen years in education
policy, I wrote my debut, Becoming.
‘Following its success, I caught the writing bug and set about
writing the follow-up, Awakening. However, things didn’t quite
unfold as I intended.
‘My plan was Becoming would be a series. But after writing
about half of Awakening I wasn’t happy with the story so I
decided to set it to one side and work on something else.’
‘This different focus led to the publication of my second
novel, supernatural thriller The Storm. But it wasn’t long before
the story of Gaia and her adventure began to dominate my
thoughts once more.
‘Writing a sequel can be daunting. Awakening has definitely been my most difficult
book to write so far. At the same time, it is also my most rewarding, and as with
everything in life, the greater the struggle, the more you appreciate the achievement.’
‘I’ve had a lot of fun with this book. There are the usual twists and turns, and
as ever I like to keep my readers guessing until the final page. There are also some
familiar local places, reimagined as dark, dystopian settings. I’m excited about this
book, and hope readers will love it too.’
‘I’m working on ideas for the third book in the Becoming series entitled Reckoning.
‘I loved climbing back inside the heads of the characters and immersing myself
in their world again. They’re all still floating around in there and the next book is
developing already.’
Website: http://chrisord.wixsite.com/chrisordDYSTOPIAN REIMAGININGS