The Fear Factor – 8th May 2013

There is no doubt that people are turned on by fear. From the feedback people have given for my first book, it is easy to see that a book which runs at a high adrenalin level is much harder to put down. I’ve read various blogs on the subject too, which draws me to one obvious conclusion.

A book is more exciting when it evokes fear in its readers!

An evil stalker sets out to instil fear in his victim

At the same time, it seems unrealistic to pursue a story by adrenalin alone. Which is why I occasionally feel inspired to inject a sense of every day life into my books – the reason I take time to depict more gentle scenes.

While some of these scenes might seem trivial to some, I truly believe a story needs some light to break up the darkness.

Books which rely on one terrifying scene after another, start to lose their impact after a while. So why not stop and concentrate on the characters occasionally? Think about how they must be feeling and allow the story to settle, before launching straight into the next dark chapter.

 A slower more gradual build up gives those scary moments so much more impact.

It is the characters and their lifestyles which creates the essence of the story. In the context of my own series, it adds a sense of realism which is unique to each decade, such as a child’s birthday party, or a group of teenagers going out clubbing; a couple falling in love… events which will draw the readers into the imaginary setting of the book – as well allowing them to ‘get to know’ the people in it.

The main reason I write is because I enjoy it. But if I’m about to put a new book on the market, I also want it to entertain people.

To satisfy people’s desire for that adrenalin high, Visions is a scary book. A book which starts gently, but unfolds into a story which is very dark. There is always a growing sense of menace – from the various scheming which takes place behind the scenes, to the more blatant stalking episode; then the build up to an explosive battle.

So I hope I’ve given readers what they want – but at the same time, I also hope to delight them with my interpretation of gentle village life and the creation of a community.

New Book cover design for ‘Visions’

‘Visions’ will be out very soon: my goal to have a first published draft out by the end of summer: the first of three sequels, which follow ‘Beginnings.’

Writing my Book Trailer – 3rd January 2013

There are some really cool book trailers around at the moment and I have to admit this has been on my do do list for a while now. Last summer I actually borrowed my two nieces (and one boyfriend) to act as models for some of the characters. Combined with some of my own photos of London, along with a few image stills from photo libraries, I then worked on the photos in photoshop, to create the graphics for my trailer. In the end, I came up with some really powerful images which reflected the theme of my book.

Over the next few weeks, I worked on the text and video sequence itself but needed a good soundtrack. I’m still looking – but for the time being, I chose an instrumental titled ‘Flashing Lights’ which is by one of my favourite music duos, ‘Chase and Status’ combined with ‘Sub Focus’ – I liked the gentle guitar solo at the start, which gradually builds into a dramatic piece of music, which I faded out before it turned really dark! I have however, heard this on TV (usually in the background of an up and coming drama series) so I’ll have to source something else eventually.

On to the trailer itself, I made good use of the Christmas Holidays to put this altogether in Adobe Flash. The project file looks great! Unfortunately I’m not so happy as to how it exported as an .mov file. It seems to have lost its seamless tweening, not to mention some of the texts are looking a little ragged. Painful though its seems, I don’t think I can use it because it just doesn’t look professional. So it’s back to the drawing board – maybe using different software.

However it did seem such a shame to put all that hard work to waste. So I’ve decided to publish my original story board. I will have another crack at this at sometime in the future, but for now, here is the trailer sequence.

SAME FACE DIFFERENT PLACE
by Helen J. Christmas

Book One – Beginnings
A fast paced thriller set in the dark criminal underworld of London

The year is 1972

Eleanor is 16

when she discovers her father is involved in organised crime

but he is forced to go on the run
leaving her in the hands of dangerous people

Thrown into prostitution

She is about to face her worst nightmare…

…desperate to escape

she stumbles across another prisoner

An innocent young man

who has a contract on his life

His name is Jake
He is a gifted musician from Holland

Together they risk a daring escape…followed by a terrifying chase across London

until at last they find a safe place to hide… and then Jake tells his story

He witnessed a scene

a mysterious man lurking by the roadside

The car bomb explosion which claimed the life of a British MP

He was interviewed by the police

Now those responsible want him silenced forever

Two young people thrown together by fate… who fall in love

Jake and Eleanor know they are living on borrowed time…

Somewhere out there, a lethal contract killer is hunting them…

This is the Beginning..…

Available on Amazon.com

Visit: http://www.samefacedifferentplace.co.uk

The Season of Goodwill – 25th December 2012

Since I began writing my series, ‘Same Face Different Place’, I have enjoyed depicting special events such as Christmas. As there is much emphasis on family life and people in my stories, it is important to highlight occasions which bring people together, even in times of heartache and hardship. To bring a little festive cheer into the big wide world of literature, I would therefore like to share a couple of Christmassy extracts from the first and second books.

Book 1 – Beginnings (currently available on Amazon) 1973

As Christmas was the one season which brought London to life, Rosemary agreed to drive both girls into the heart of the Capital, where they had arranged to meet the boys over in the West End. From the busy streets, emerged a lovely atmosphere – from the warming fragrance of hot chestnuts and toffee apples sold by street vendors – to the shop windows decorated with fake snow and pretty lights. Somewhere in the distance, echoed the haunting sound of a Salvation Army brass band playing Christmas carols. And as the evocative melody of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ rang into the air, Eleanor felt the tears pricking her eyes – but blinked them back, refusing to allow her melancholy to surface in the midst of such a comforting scene.

So they mingled amongst the crowds which thronged the pavements, pausing every so often to peer into shop windows. Eleanor, wearing a fluffy white hat borrowed from Alison could not prevent the occasional sideways glance, as her eyes scoured the streets for enemies – it had become second nature – even though they were far from the menacing streets of East London. The chance she might bump into any of Theakston’s thugs, seemed incredibly slim – but she hadn’t overruled the possibility that she might see someone like Whaley. A man like him could turn up anywhere, as he had done in Holborn and with his immaculate outer veneer and well-cut suit, would blend into any crowd unnoticed. In truth, she felt uneasy just wandering from shop to shop – so as an extra precaution, chose to buy all her presents from one department store.

With Alison accompanying her to help her choose, she picked out an ornamental glass decanter, filled with lavender scented bubble bath for Rosemary and a box of herbal soaps. Upstairs in the menswear department, she found a striped black and grey shirt for Luke, knowing he loved clothes, especially stylish ones. Lastly, she took a chance – she shooed Alison away for a few minutes, in order that she could sneak back to the gifts section to buy her a lovely vintage hairbrush and comb set she had spotted earlier, knowing it would look perfect on her dressing table.

By the time they left the store, it was completely dark – but the busy pavements were illuminated by the gleam of lanterns emanating from shop windows. In the fraction of time they had left, before meeting the others, Eleanor dashed into a record shop to buy Joshua a Rolling Stones album which he had been wanting for ages called ‘Exile on Main St.’ After which time, they proceeded to fight their way through the crowds, towards the corner of Oxford Street where sure enough the boys awaited them, wrapped in scarves and woolly hats, breathing great clouds into the crisp night air. Eleanor felt elated – it had been a hugely enjoyable venture and she now cherished the thought of returning home to start present wrapping.

Book 2 – Visions (in progress and due out soon) 1984

As soon as they were inside the caravan, Eleanor felt some of her earlier tension melt. It was at times like these, when she was pleased she had stoked up the wood burner, leaving it to smoulder until the interior of her home was blanketed in warmth. Anna’s cough had subsided, her cheeks flushed with colour again as she drank in her surroundings: gazing in delight at the branches of holly, she and Elijah had threaded together to make a garland, tied with gold ribbons and sprayed with fake snow. There seemed to be even more candles than ever, which Eleanor began to light in succession. As the tiny flickers of flame sprung to life, they added a sparkle to sprigs of tinsel, one would never have noticed – the fir cones sprayed gold, which stood amongst the many other glittering trinkets.

Instead of tea, Eleanor placed a saucepan on top of her stove and warmed up some mulled wine. A rich fragrance of cinnamon and cloves infused the air around them – she offered a weaker version for Margaret and Eli, which had been diluted with orange juice.

“So what are you doing for Christmas?” Anna asked her, breathing in deeply to take in the delightful smells of mulled wine, combined with wood smoke.

“Rosemary’s coming over to stay!” Eleanor began to rhapsodise. “I’m sure I mentioned that her sister lives in the farmhouse next door! Luke’s coming too with his family – that’s her eldest son.”

“Well, you know you are always welcome to come over and see us too,” Anna added warmly. “Spend a day with us – have another Christmas dinner!”

Anna turned to her and their eyes connected. Once again, Eleanor could sense that strong thread of friendship weaving its way between their hearts… (continued).

A New Approach to the 2nd Book, Visions – 6th December 2012

Since writing my last Blog, I can now reveal that the first half of ‘Visions’ is currently undergoing a bit of a rewrite.

I made the decision this weekend after reaching a crisis point – in so much as I could not continue with my edit in the book’s current format! I had long sensed my interest was waning and it was distressing me. The storyline was dragging and I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere very fast. So it was time to try a different tactic.

Funnily enough, as soon as I made this decision I felt as if my passion had been rekindled. First of all, I was agonising over the length of this book and even though I have already chopped it down considerably, I still didn’t feel there was enough to hold people’s interest. I’ve often spoken of a long, lingering build up. In particular there is one especially powerful scene right in the middle of this book, where everything falls into place – but to reach this point was proving to be difficult.

So I’ve decided to start my novel with this scene – by adding a small extract right at the beginning as a prologue. This will leave people wondering whatever could have happened to get us to this scene. Hence, the story will unfold much as before – but through the memories of other characters. I am hoping this is going to give the story whole new twist – something to keep people hooked. It does mean the story will now have a tendency to hop back and forth in time – as opposed to following a linear timeline. But at the same time, I sense the story will become a lot more powerful than in its previous draft – and with a lot less superflous detail.

Oddly enough – one day later, I read a most interesting Blog, from a website I’m subscribed to, titled No Rules, Just WRITE!

Here are some of the snippets of advice I read – which was all the proof I needed to reassure me that my intuition to change my book, was spot on:

“The point is: know what works for you and for this story. No one can tell you the right way to write, but you do need to be open to trying new approaches.”

So, I have already decided to try a new approach!

“My first draft is where I have fun. The first draft is where anything is possible, so try to explore it all, without limitations. For me, the real work comes with the second draft. This is where I take my story and turn it into entertainment.”

Yes, the whole book is written and yes, I had fun. But trying to turn all this into entertainment was the one thing which forced me to make a decision to change it.

“This second draft, I call it my re-visioning draft. If the first draft is about you discovering the story, then this second draft is about connecting your audience to your story.”

So true! It takes the writing of an entire book, to understand your own characters and plot. But it is only when you know your characters, that you can actually start to reveal them in a much truer sense: once your story is written, only you can decide the best way to reveal it – and thus, create it into a masterpiece that I hope people will love.
For more useful advise, subscribe to http://www.norulesjustwrite.com/

All I hope now is that I am well on the way to remodelling what I believe will be a really great story – as well as the one I have always wanted to write.

The serene grounds of Westbourne House – fated location of Visions

Marketing Tips for Authors – 19th October 2012

As Indie Authors how can we boost our sales and drive readers to our books?

Since publishing the first book of my series ‘Same Face Different Place’, I have been drawn into a fascinating new world of marketing and social networking with other authors and consultants and it seems there are no shortage of people out there, willing to promote your work for free.

This latest blog is as much to share my experiences with others as to show my appreciation for all those out there who took an interest in me as a new author as well my first novel, by inviting me to join their circle. Here are some of the avenues I’ve been down.

Book Promo Group

I first came across this site on Twitter and followed their link. Within a few short days, I had an invitation to join the group and create a web page of my very own on the website. A great way for any new author to talk about themselves, as well as their book, upload a cover and even a video trailer. What I like most about this group is that we network – we regularly retweet each other and I have befriended a few members on Facebook where we share our own experiences as authors. This is really great group and a good place to immerse yourself into the writing community. To see an example, visit  http://bookpromo.weebly.com/helen-christmas.html

Black Caviar Book Club

This invitation came from another follower on Twitter, this time from a young British author named Psymon H who has just launched a new website which promises to engage authors with their readers, (which I thought sounded like an excellent idea). So I’ve already booked my seat – and voila! I have another page to tweet and blog about, hence more exposure. See: www.blackcaviar-bookclub.com/psychological-thriller-books-same-face-different-place.html. With plenty of different genres to choose for I recommend this site to all fellow indie authors who like to network. I have yet to subscribe to his own book, but it is definitely on my ‘to do’ list.

ASK DAVID (Reviews Community)

The latest invitation came from askDavid.com. It first drew my interest when I ran another free promotion on my first book, Beginnings which is a thriller with a love story element. At first I decided this would be a targeted campaign which I aimed at Goodreads (a new social networking channel where I stumbled across an rewarding new forum titled ‘support GR authors on Facebook’); as well as with my local radio station Spirit FM.

12 hours before the campaign ended however, I did a final blast on twitter by inviting a number of followers in the book promotion field to retweet my FREE book in the hope of getting a few extra downloads. However, in a few cases I was a little too late – but got the invitation to feature my book on askDavid.com instead.

I now have my own link and page which I am very pleased with! So I invite anyone who’s willing, to please submit their review for my book on askDavid.com.

The best thing about all these websites is that they will promote your book for FREE and feature their own twitter and facebook like buttons, to make spreading the word even easier. I can’t see how we can lose really…

Meet the Author – on the Blog of Jocelyn Adams

My last accolade goes out to Jocelyn Adams for very kindly offering me an interview on her own blog ‘Meet the Author’. I check out this blog on a weekly basis now and as a result, have stumbled across many very interesting sounding authors and books. This was another great tip which I found on a forum on Goodreads. I have since noticed a number of facebook posts, relating to this sort of venture – I think it’s great that so many authors are now offering interviews on their Blog pages to help spread the word.

My Own Mobile Website

I would like to mention that as I work as a web designer from home with my husband, we have recently been offering mobile websites and I now have one of my own. I think it is important to be able to offer a website which is optimised for mobile devices, since more and more people are now using their smart phones to browse the internet.

So what better way to promote yourself than by having a site, which has instant access to your Facebook and Twitter account, as well as to your own book link on Amazon? Further more, you can even upload a PDF for visitors to download samples of your work. It’s excellent and I am so pleased with it – check it out yourself at http://www.englishnovelist.tel/

I would also like to offer the service to other authors so if anyone is interested in this feature, please leave some details in the comments section below this post and we will be happy to assist you.

Progress – new Psychological thriller – Visions

It’s been 6 weeks since I finished my first draft of my second book, Visions and the editing process is well underway. By September 3rd I find myself picking through Chapter 5, with the sudden realisation that I must be a quarter of the way through. Not bad! Editing is a hard process – most authors say this is where the work really begins. Getting the story written is the easy part.

So what has changed? Cutting down on waffle has been a major part of this process – if it’s not relevant to the story, it can go – unless of course, it has some bearing on the characters or the setting – as I like to create atmosphere. Injecting more depth into characters is also a major part – especially the evil ones. It can take the writing of a whole book before you know some of these – whilst for me, good characters come easy.

The story starts off a little genteel – but as it is ultimately a psychological thriller it definitely has to be a little more ‘noir’ right from the outset. I would like it is come across as more exciting – but then how you make a tour around a historic country house any more thrilling? The small extract below might explain how I am trying to achieve that: Hopefully, it is getting there!

He gave a shiver as they continued their last few steps towards the high walls which now loomed in front of them, pausing at the entrance. These walls were particularly pleasing – where the bricks possessed an antique appearance, faded and crumbling, in a myriad of soft terracotta shades, with areas of flint cobbles nestling between the layers. An ornamental wrought iron gate drew them through posts which bore small round finials made from granite, ingrained with yellow lichen. On one side towered a magnificent Cedar tree – James eyes had become misty. Avalon, feeling a sudden lump in her throat, then turned to Rowena.

Journey around Kent, Greater London and London – 13th August 2012

Now ‘Visions’ is written and the editing process is well underway, the time has come to fine tune those minor details which add a sense of realism. So what better way, than to embark on another mission of research ‘on location’, this time, to follow some of the journeys described in the book. It’s something I’ve been planning for a while, but as the 2012 London Olympics drew to a close on Sunday, I thought I’d seize the opportunity sooner rather than later.

I drove  to Orpington, Kent – the place in which my fictitious town, ‘Rosebrook’ is very loosely based. From there, I stepped onto a train which is where the real journey began. As the train surged forwards, there was little I could see, beyond the heavy screen of trees which enclosed both sides of the tracks. And I remembered a scene which involved the same journey, on a dark winter’s night – a desperate mercy dash to get to a hospital in Bromley.

Bromley is actually one of the first locations to appear in my second novel, ‘Visions’ and home to the gentle Bailey family. Described as ’a pleasant suburban district of south east London’, it is a lot nicer than I imagined. I saw just the type of house the Baileys might have rented – followed by areas of green space, including the recreational park, where their children might have played. Once shown around the local history section of the library, by a very helpful gentleman, I had a little time left to look at the town, which boasts a pleasant market square, surrounded by modern shops. So I can picture it now, hold on to the memories and maybe even mention that it is also set quite high up, where the rolling hills and hazy woods can be viewed in the distance.

Traditional Houses in Bromley

In the part of the book I am currently editing, I’m still in Bromley. But thinking about the later chapters, there is one very exciting scene which takes place on the London Underground and being a psychological thriller, it involves a character who is being followed.

The first problem was getting there. I had hoped my train would take me to Waterloo where this scene begins – but I had to settle for Victoria instead. The sky was black and the air felt humid as the train chugged along at an infuriatingly slow pace. So with little time to spare, I set off on my trail, following the same route which I had planned in the story – using little other than a map of the underground. But it did not take long for me to realise, how wrong I’d got some of those details!

First problem – the Circle Line. Not ‘deep in bowels of the London underground’ as written but almost at ground level where daylight is exposed in some stations. So all that needs changing. In actual fact I’ve confused the levels of the Circle Line and the Northern Line – now that one does go deep – really deep! Down a long tunnel, followed by an escalator.

Transition from the Circle Line to the Northern line which descends deeper into the Underground.

Second problem is crossing platforms – in some stations, you can walk from one to the other and get the train in the opposite direction. I used this scenario – except you would have needed to ascend flight of steps, to cross over to the other side, in order to make this possible in my chosen station (Kensington High Street).

She could sense him now, like a hunter in pursuit of its prey – staggering along behind as she flitted across to the opposite platform. 

The tube station in High Street Kensington

Eventually I reached Waterloo, where this very scene was meant to start. But before embarking on my homeward journey to Orpington, I took several more pictures of the station inside and out. Waterloo Station was also a very significant location for one of the most powerful scenes in the first book, ‘Beginnings’ – and as I am planning to depict parts of that scene in a video trailer, I need some good photographs.

Beautiful facade of Waterloo Railway Station

It was a very worthwhile day and along with my photos, I also have 4 pages of hand written notes to consult, the next time I go back to my editing.

As an author, one cannot not underestimate the importance of doing your research. It’s hard work but fun and those images stay in your mind for a long time, thereby helping you to place yourself right inside the lives and minds of your characters.