Carol is back with another fab post today! Get your minds out of the gutter too, she is not talking about that kind of magic – honestly!!! She is talking about her writing and that magic ??
Where the Magic Happens
I often joke that I hide away like writers from some bygone era, swaddled in voluminous, knitted garments to stay warm, scribbling away in my garret but in truth that’s what I do.
We moved from a quaint Staffordshire village to what we call the “Windy Hill” eight years ago, won over by the undulating fields of cows that surround the house, the 280-degree views of woods and the nature reservoir that shimmers in the distance. It is a proper rural retreat and ideal for coaxing my muses into action and ruminating.
My official “office” is off a separate staircase in the house and has a skylight that lets in plenty of light but prevents me from becoming distracted by the views. There’s an en suite shower and a small bedroom next door, ideal for an insomnia sufferer like me. I often work well into the night and it means I can grab a couple of hours sleep without disturbing my husband.
However, the room in the attic is only where I type my books and do all my editing. It is a stark contrast to where I start the journey for each novel. The creative process begins with several old-fashioned exercise books and sharpened pencils and the first drafts are often penned in France.
For a few weeks a year, Mr Grumpy and I rent a gite in the Bordeaux region. We tend to return to the same one, adjacent to a grand manor house with its own private entrance and seating area. It immediately transports you back to bygone eras and I gaze out across neatly planted vineyards, under the shade of a tree, I’ll shut my eyes and let my mind mull over plots.
I don’t know if it’s the distant braying of donkeys, the chirping of cicadas, the aroma of lavender, or the sultry warmth that envelops you but whatever it is, the magic of the place always works on me and within a couple of days, I’ll be jotting down ideas, reworking them and before long have my next book planned out, sometimes, I’ll even begin work on it there, mapping it all out in a large notebook and pencilling character notes on sticky notes ready to slap on my wardrobe on my return.
This year, there’ll be no trips to France but the farmer has put cows in the field next to ours and the sun has been shining so the second book in the Kate Young series is being typed as you read this.
Ah man, that looks amazing!! Shame you can’t go to France this year but it’s exciting to hear about Book 2 of Kate being written up. I can’t wait to meet Kate.
You can preorder it here or click on the picture.
A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.
DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.
But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.
As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?
Until next time xxx
carolwyer says
Given the appalling wind that has blown here the last two days, I really wish I could be transported to France! Still, the first draft of Book 2 is almost completed so at least I’ve been productive. I could alway buy a bottle of wine, some French cheese and pretend!
Thank you again, Zoe. You’ve spend such a huge amount of time preparing all this and presenting it so beautifully and done me proud once more.
XOXO
Zoé says
Aw I wish you could be in France too! Yes do it! Celebrate book 2 this is so exciting!!
You are worth it! Thank you for your words xx
Shalini says
Ah so that’s where it starts. France with the braying donkeys and chirping cicadas