Writing Novels & A Giveaway!

If you want to write a novel (are you mad?), Curtis Brown are running a free webinar on 4th November 7pm – 8.30pm on that very theme.

‘Your Novel: How To Get Started‘ is currently full but they’re trying to ‘open up more places’ (my terminology!), or failing that, it will be available to view on YouTube, as a recording.

Why are they running a free webinar? As well as being a prestigious literary agency (authors on their books include Marian Keyes, Jojo Moyes, Lisa Jewell, Adam Kay.. need I go on?), Curtis Brown run lots of writing courses and there’s a good chance that they’ll want to let you know about them, once you sign up for the webinar. But you can always unsubscribe and I’ve never found it too much of a pain. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, (or a ‘free webinar’) as the saying goes.

Here‘s where you can register your interest in the webinar.

They are also running the event to help promote their ‘Discoveries 2022’ scheme, which is free and open to unpublished female novelists in the UK and Ireland. Be warned, last year they received over 2,500 entries for their Discoveries programme, but it’s definitely still worth a go if you’ve got 10,000 words of a novel (finished or unfinished) to send in.

You’ve got until January 2022 to get your submission in. More details here.

Book Giveaway: ‘The Smallest Man’

By complete coincidence, the author of the book I’m giving away, Frances Quinn, is a former student of a Curtis Brown Novel Writing course.

Her debut novel, ‘The Smallest Man’, was published earlier this year and I’ve got a paperback copy to give away, courtesy of the author herself. It’s even signed!

The book is set in the 17th Century and is inspired by the true story of Jeffrey Hudson, court dwarf to Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I.

And here is a painting by Van Dyck of the Queen, with Jeffrey, painted in 1633.

Frances’ main character, Nat Davy, is definitely fictional though and her novel starts with a great couple of lines, that really pull you into the story: “My name is Nat Davy. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? There was a time when people up and down the land knew my name, though they only ever knew half the story….”

Do you remember in my recent post about editing, I mentioned Frances and her book and how she had to …ouch… scrap and rewrite quite a bit of ‘wordage’ at the end of the book? But of course, it was all worthwhile because the book’s been very well received. I’ve read it myself and really enjoyed it.

There’s another lovely interview with Frances here, if you’d like to know more about her and her second book.

So, if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning this lovely brand new signed (did I say it was signed?) paperback (UK only, folks, sorry!), all you have to do is tell me the title of another historical novel you’ve enjoyed reading.

That way, we’ll all end up with a lovely list of books to read.

The Historical Writers Association, by the way, classifies ‘historical fiction’ as ‘fiction set fifty years before the present time’ (ie: 1971 and earlier) but the Historical Novel Society apparently classifies it as 30 years before the present time (1991 and earlier!).

So, take your pick but it all sounds very recent to me!

I’ll put all the names into the random wheel name picker thing to choose a winner a week today, Monday 18th October at 6pm.  UPDATE: The giveaway was won by Sarah from Stratford. But… horror upon horrors, when I sent the book to her it WENT MISSING! So, we waited and it still didn’t turn up, so in the end I ordered a new one to send to her (which of course, wouldn’t have been signed, but still…) and then, before I could send it, the original turned up! (Her neighbour, who had broken his leg, had taken in the parcel from the postman but hadn’t been able to give it to her – I suppose on account of his incapacity!). So, then I had a spare book, so I did another spin of the random name-picker wheel and the second winner was Fran Hill, so she’s had that book and enjoyed it.

My stepdaughter made me this cake at the weekend. Early birthday cake. Yum!