Authors Tagging Authors Blog Tour

I’m grateful to Sheila Callaham for asking me to take part in this author-to-author blog tour. Sheila is the author of Truth Runs Deep the innovative new book, Stories from Spirit and founder of success coaching Magnetize Success  Find her on FaceBook and on twitter. 

The idea of the Authors Tagging Authors Blog Tour is to say something about my work by answering five questions,  then tag five more authors with great blogs I like to visit, who may have time to do the same.

Okay, so I must answer five questions about one of my books. I’m choosing my new novel, which was written during NaNoWriMo 2012 (yes I did 50,069 words by the 22nd and another 40,500 since, so it is now in the final stages of editing before going out to beta readers. (Please contact me if you would like a free review copy or would be interested in reciprocating on book launch publicity).

1. What is the working title of your book? 

The Shell

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

On holiday in Mombasa the staff at the hotel advised that, for our own safety, we should never go outside the hotel grounds without one of their men to escort us. One afternoon we forgot the advice and walked further than intended along the beach. Realising the danger we were in, we nervously made our way back. That was when the idea for this book first came to me. What would we do if we were attacked, far from the safety of our hotel? 

I'd written the first two chapters and decided the story would be about the kidnapped wife and her husband's desperate attempts to rescue her. Then I heard that a British couple on holiday had actually been attacked near the beach at Lamu, north where we were staying in Mombasa. 

Sadly the attack on September 11th, 2011 resulted in the death of David Tebbutt and the kidnap of his wife Judith. Judith Tebbutt was freed six months later when her family paid a ransom to the kidnappers. David was a hugely respected director of one of the last independent British publishers in London. 

Faber and University College London (UCL) have launched a new scholarship in memory of David Tebbutt to help people get into publishing. The annual prize will sponsor one person each year, beginning in 2013, to undertake UCL’s MA in publishing. It will be funded by the David Tebbutt Trust, which is jointly administered by the publishers and the Tebbutt family. As well as funding the full fees for the course, the scholarship will also include a work placement with Faber. 

3. What genre does your book fall under? 

Action & Adventure

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? (no Brad's not supposed to be me, it's a work of fiction)

5. What is your current work in progress?

I’ve just started working on my next historical fiction novel, 'The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham' trying to fill in the gaps in the fascinating true story of Eleanor, the mistress and wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, heir to the British throne. It isn't going to have a happy ending, as she was accused of treason, using necromancy and witchcraft, before being paraded through the streets...

I am also working on the next in my 'for busy managers' series: 'Transformational Change for Busy Managers'. If anyone would like to contribute thoughts on managing major change or can offer interesting case studies, please get in touch.      

Now for the four inspiring authors I’m pleased to tag and whose blogs I am always glad to visit:

Chris Ward is the author of several great books, including The Tube Riders set in the Britain of 2075, and The Cold Pool  (see his guest post HERE) There must be some of you who, like me, were interested to see our books made avaiable in Amazon Japan? Chris teaches English in Nagano, Japan and told me that we have a long wait before many Japanese have Kindles  - or learn English (despite his best efforts). Please have a look at his blog A Million Miles From Anywhere and find him on twitter @ChrisWardWriter

Jessica Kristie is a talented poet and award winning writer we are going to hear a lot more of soon. If you like original poetry and haven't seen it already, check out her book Dreaming in Darkness and her ebook Weekly Inspirations for Writers & Creators.  Jess has a great writing site at http://jessicakristie.com/ and you can find her on twitter @jesskristie

Monica La Porta is the author of 'The Priest' (The Ginecean Chronicles) set in an alternate Earth, a planet called Ginecea, where society has evolved in a different way from ours. Women rule over enslaved men. (A bit like in present day Wales) Monica was one of my NaNoWriMo 'buddies' and is also a winner this year, so have a look at her blog  http://monicalaporta.com/ and find her on twitter @monilp


Rebecca Munro is one of those writers that can make you think all day about one sentence. For example: 'Sometimes my imagination runs wild and free, savouring that thought, it should have its own lead, for its limitation is tireless and never ending.'  Take a look at Rebecca's blog http://authorrebeccamunro.co.uk/ and follow her on twitter @missRmunro

Happy writing!