8 Lines a Week – The Blue Spruce of Dr. Seuss

Welcome to the 2nd edition of 8 Lines a Week – The blog for the busy.

Forgive me this week if I jump right on in, for I discovered a tonic from a helpful old jinn, a sprightly ole fella of Loraxian kin.

Last weeks 8 Lines didn’t half stink so I wrote it in an invisible ink

This week I was inspired by an old chum, Dr. Seuss, and with the help of the sap squeezed from a blue spruce, I began to produce

Last week I was empty, I’d injured my mandible, so now I bring you something more tangible

Childhood memories from Knowle and from Dorridge, stirred in my head like a Vat of Prune Porridge

So a few old books got me out of my jam, as quick as a pig can get turned into green ham in a can delivered by a man in a pram

So without further ado, and I do and I don’t, I’ll complete this last line whilst I pull on my coat

Bye from above and bye from below, this 8th line must mean that it’s now time to go…

Tom

8 Lines a Week – The Portsmouth Writers – a celebration of St George!!!

Hi, welcome to 8 Lines a Week, the archive for the assiduous.

On Tuesday night the Portsmouth Writers gathered in the sublime Square Tower in Old Portsmouth to celebrate St George’s Day & World Book Night as well as the proud literary heritage of the city. The event was covered by South Today and Radio Solent and bought together an eclectic and talented mix of writers from around the city, my good self being part of this south coast syndicate of scribes.

As ever we were ably supported by Portsmouth City Council, the Portsmouth Writers Hub at the New Theatre Royal and the fabulous Jo from Blackwells. The event was organised by Historical Novelist, Jack Hughes, who did an excellent job - I doth my cap to you, sir… With work on display around the tower, ten of our band also read from our collective scribbling’s and excerpts from the literary greats of the city. Here is a snippet of what was on offer, in 8 Lines obviously…

*the length of what constitutes a line may alter slightly due to narrow display of website page… I thank you for your discretion in not drawing attention to this… 

Take Nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence

read by Charlotte Comley and taken from the lips of Mr Jaggers from Dickens’ Great Expectations

Assisted by a descendant of the long-dead King, the rotten remains were lifted out, tasting the air after 500 years of being deconstructed by the sea

written and read by James Bicheno, extract taken from his  poem entitled – The Mary Rose

Others wear traditional clothes, defiant in newfound cultural ownership, painful nostalgia hugging brown skins that have shed Waziristani or Burmese sweat and blood

written and read by Lynne Blackwood, extract taken from her short story -  The Lesson in Dhansak - about her first generation Anglo-Indian heritage

He tried to shout but his mouth had been zipped shut. North was bursting, screaming inside…RUN…RUN…RUN…but she couldn’t hear

written and read by Tom Harris, extract taken from his middle grade novel, The Amber Room

Pull up your pants there is work to be done!

written and read by Anna Barzotti , extract taken from her short story - The Mozzarella Wars! From the collection – Stories Beyond The Dirt Track

Quake you spongy, fly-bitten puttocks, she is free. Mary Rose sails.

written and read by Zella Compton, extract taken from her original poem Henry & Mary, scribed specially for this night

When she closed her eyes she could see the pink wool winding round her body like a giant spider’s web

written and read by Christine Lawrence, extract taken from her novel Caught in the Web

You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us

read by Tom Harris and taken from the lips of Scrooge from Dickens’ Christmas Carol

That’s all from 8 Lines a Week, The Pompey Writers and the fantastic Square Tower…

Thanks for whizzing by and pop by next week for a London Marathon special

Tom

8 Lines A Week

We are all busy. So I’m not saying that I am busy and no-one else is - so let’s get this straight. I’m no busier than you or anyone you know, because however busy you think you are someone else is always busier, juggling work, studying, family, relationships, money, hobbies, fruit, balls and chairs if they’re exceptional. Have I got that point across… excellent now I’ll begin.

Oh, I need to blog, but I just feel I need to prioritise my time working on honing my craft. So much to create and so much to learn about the writing process – how can I afford to spend time blogging when I should be working!!!

I’m in my first year of a new job at Portsmouth University, which I love, and when the day is done and the night comes down and the moon is shining through I can be found writing, editing, proofreading, swearing, ripping, shredding, rewriting, rewriting and rewriting my new novel. I love writing, I guess you know that’s true and I love my job – I’m lucky, but… I’m still busy. Okay, fair enough, that lady on the Sussex coast with all the cats and the degrees and the 18 businesses is far busier, but me… yep, I’m a little busy.

So, when I aint got nothin’ but the urge to blog, I tend to stop and work on my manuscript because time is precious and I never want to take my foot off the ball or my eye off the pedal, because that’s when mistakes are made! It’s always on my mind and one thing I can say is that being submerged in a novel is a wonderful place to be… and even though the distractions of life are always pulling me down that’s fine, because that’s the way it is – that’s life! That’s what all the people say!!!

But, I’m still busy whatever anyone says – yes, I know Mr Archer from Nottingham that you run 11 Fletcher outlets and have 21 daughters to clothe, feed and defend from young dart-playing suitors; I bow to your busyness, and your business – but, guess what, I’m still quite busy.

So, how do I write and maintain a blog when I’m really busy, plenty of people do it, so what’s wrong with me?

In pondering this question, I listened to The Beatles.

Yes! Eureka! Like a projectile Ringo Starr crashing into Lucy in a diamond embedded sky it hit me.

I could write a small blog. Wow! The Brain of Britain has arrived!

I’m busy, everyone’s busy, so I could scribe and prescribe a small blog which takes less time to put together and less time to read and then we’re all happy, right? And that nagging need to blog is soothed – how bloomin’ marvellous.

But how long is short?

It was right there in the lyrics.

8 Lines a Week seems about perfect.

And no that has nothing to do with recreational snortage before you ask, I haven’t the time to lose days on end with all that stuff – have you not listened to a word I said?

Anyway, must dash, I have a new blog to prep’ because I’m, yep… how did you guess?

Rewriting Jackie Jones

Well, I may have been A.W.O.L (Absent. Writing. On. Lavatory) but I’ve been as busy as a dung bettle in a herd of elephants.

It all started at the SCBWI conference which was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. I got such amazing feedback about the new book from fellow writers and a top literary agent. This feedback was very positive but also didn’t pull any punches on the negatives, where people were incredibly generous with their time and honest enough to tell me where things needed improving.

So since then I have been in a state of something I like to call – Hermitotosis. The rewrites are near completion, but one thing I have learned is that these final edits can’t be rushed, well they can but when they are they lack that certain je ne sais quoi. Because of the rewrite I have learnt more about the book and my characters and hope I have developed them whilst ensuring that the story is simply told and not over written. After all the purpose of a writer is to translate a concept to a stranger so that they may enjoy and understand it.

So as the book takes a trip out to selected agents, my attention will turn to the sequel for The Amber Room – The Amber Antidote. I have been dying to get writing this and have been overwhelmed by all the kind feedback about the first book and the lovely impatient messages of – Where the f####! is the next one!!! Marvellous stuff! Thanks again to all for taking the plunge and reading this story. Work Begins soon.

Thanks for dropping by  – I’m off to my metaphorical cabin in the woods to wave goodbye to Jackie Jones and welcome back North and Rosie

I’ve left a little clip image as a clue to what’s in store for Jackie Jones and his friends at the mysterious Heath Hall.

Have a great day, whatever you’re up to

Tom

Cover Reveal: Michelle Muto’s – The Haunting Season

Just thought I’d share talented Supernatural YA writer, Michelle Muto’s cover reveal with you – Michelle is a friend and a great writer, so I’m proud to help her show off the eerie new cover for her book.

I’m a big fan of her other titles, The Book of Lost Souls and Don’t Fear the Reaper, so if you like supernatural YA, check them out…along with her new release in December.

Be careful what you let in…

Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Jess, who talks to ghosts, quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects. One is a girl possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who really knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate…when he’s not resurrecting the dead.

The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. In order to escape, Jess and the others will have to open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that has welcomed them all.

Coming December 2012

Add to your Goodreads reading list

Michelle’s Amazon Page

Michelle on Twitter

Michelle on FB

Michelle’s blog

THE NEXT BIG THING

I have been invited to take part in the Next Big Thing – an online publicity drive for authors. A Blog Hop if you will.

It consists of 10 questions (below) about a work in progress, and after completing those questions it is my task to tag other authors and their blogs who also have new work coming soon.
So, without further ado, here we go…

Q1: What is the working title of your book?

Jackie Jones

Q2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was watching the Christopher Nolan - Batman movies, thinking about alter-egos and thought that instead of writing something about characters with duel personas, I could twist the concept and write about a group of people thrown together who all share the same name. And so the pieces fitted together, a contest, a mystery and 6 Jackie Joneses. I discussed it with my crit’ partners/writing group and they loved the general idea, and so I built the layers from there. Instead of going super hero and other world, it also became rooted in the English Countryside, which has given it a different feel altogether. I blame this on watching too many period dramas and getting caught up with my old friends Dickens and Doyle again.

Q3: What genre does your book fall under?

Middle Grade 9+

Q4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Jackie – My cousin Alex – a budding young actor, he would be perfect for the role! Also does anyone remember Wil Wheaton (Gordie Lechance) from Stand By Me? Love that film and thought it was spectacular when I was a kid and he really does remind me of Jackie…

Jonesy- She would be kind of like Eliza Dushku’s portrayal of Faith in Buffy, that kind of spirit and vulnerability all rolled into one! Yeah that would work.

Wilson- A younger Daniel Kaluuya (The Fades, Kick Ass 2) would be perfect – how awesome was this guy in The Fades – incredible!

Dark – Shaun Evans (Endeavour, The Last Weekend, Silk) – he would portray a scary albino with menace – he’s such a great actor.

Ryder – Warren Brown (Good Cop, Inside Men, Luther) A quiet but menacing chauffeur, I think he’d be brilliant

That is a solid cast right there my friends, now has anyone seen my producer and director? Oh, and I may need a time machine too for this fantasy cast to assemble.

Q5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jackie (14) gets an invite to compete for a cash prize which could save his troubled family, but his fellow conestants not only share his desire to win, they also share his name.

Q6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am preparing to send it off to agents after completing my rewrites to see if there will be any interest, but after self publishing The Amber Room, I feel very confident about the possibilities of self publishing again. I really believe in the story and that’s my criteria for self publishing. I just have to be honest about what I have in front of my at the end of my final edit.

I really want people to read this story, I think people would enjoy it.

Q7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About 3-4 months – May-August 2012

Q8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Always a difficult question, so I will look at books I’ve read that have inspired elements of Jackie.

It has a dash of James Dashner’s excellent The Maze Runner about it I would say – what a fantastic book that is! There’s always a little influence from The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter series, they are just so influential and the sort of stuff I just love. Marcus Sedgwick is a real inspiration to me as is Neil Gaiman, now I’ve discovered his incredible stuff. I’ve tried to focus on strong character voice to seperate the Jackie Joneses, and there is a great example of how to write voice in the opening chapters of the excellent Blood Red Road by Moira Young, which blew my away when I read it, can’t wait to read the sequel when I get a minute. These are the books that inspired me a lot whilst writing the book.

Q9: Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Whoops! Please see above I do get a lot of visual inspiration from movies and TV, as well as reading other books. Nolan’s Batman trilogy, a brilliant British series called The Fades, Sherlock the TV series, Luther, Harpers Island, and all 7 Harry Potter films fuelled the concept and characters. Two movies really inspired the setting – The Descent and The Others.

Q10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

When writing the cave scenes I watched The Descent movies back to back to try and get into the feel of being vulnerable and in the dark. The penultimate game at Heath Hall is set in three rooms inspired by old fashioned board games – guess which ones? Three artists also inspired the soundtrack for these literal ‘games rooms’ – The Doors, The Prodigy and Adele. I also speak about Dartitis, an incredibly frustrating condition for many darts players who suddenly find it hard to release a dart. I encountered this whilst playing in a pub league and it’s bloody terrible! Incredibly sad to see the human machine when it breaks down like this, especially when people are trying so hard to fight it!

So, that’s a bit about Jackie Jones my new book, if you follow the links below you will find other authors who will be answering these questions about their up and coming work.

So next week look out for posts by -

Steve McHugh – https://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com/

Steve McHugh writes the Urban Fantasy series the Hellequin Chronicles the first book of which is Crimes Against Magic and is available now

Jan Carr – http://jancarr.wordpress.com/

Jan Carr is a childrens writer working on her debut novel and is a member of SCBWI

Matt Wingett – http://www.lifeisamazing.co.uk/

Matt Wingett is the writer of The Portsmouth Stories, available now from Amazon.

William Sutton – http://www.william-sutton.co.uk/index.html

William Sutton’s first novel The Worms of Euston Square is a literary mystery set beneath the smoggy  cobblestones of Victorian London and is also availble from Amazon.

Stay tuned for more news on Jackie Jones and a new Deed Verb episode in December.

Also in December, writing begins on The Amber Antidote.

Cheers for dropping by

Tom

Deed Verb: The Case of Simon Simile: Episode 6

EPISODE 6: CLOSURE

They stared at the young ghost suspended inside the spirit trap.

“Call no man happy till he is dead!” said Proverb, still trying to ease the pain of the spectre.

“Before I release this kid, just be ready for what may come at us…” Verb said and nodded as he withdrew one of the green vials from inside the Spectre Spirit Level. He tipped it over the ‘Laqueum’ inscription that Simile had scratched into the floor.

One drop landed and slowly the marking melted away.

Verb backed off, holding tight to the vial and stood unarmed beside Proverb – who was only ever armed with wisdom. They stood behind Maleficent, who retracted the glimmering spirit sword from within her jacket.

“There is no pen, mightier than this!” she exclaimed. “This sword has no double edge, if it strikes, it bleeds, and the motion ends with death.”

The trap now broken, the spectre was free to follow the passageways of ancient ancestors that still existed within the walls of these buildings. Yet, the spirit did not run. It did the opposite. It approached them.

Maleficent was poised, sword tilted, ready to strike, but somehow the spirit understood and stopped. Hovering before them it turned, slowly drifting towards the back of the shop. At the wall it paused and beckoned them.

“Try, and trust will move mountains,” whispered Proverb.

“Moving walls would be good, right now…” said Verb as the spectre disappeared through the brick.

Maleficent was already through the front door of the joke shop and out into the fog.

Verb followed.

He saw her turn down the narrow gully beside the building and followed the feint glow of the spirit sword until Maleficent stopped at the far end.

The spectre was waiting for them within the mist that shrouded the wasteland at the back of the shop.

Together the three of them walked in silence down a small set of steps that led onto  a patch of rough grassland, too wild and unkempt to be called a garden.

Verb moved through the fog to the spectre who was holding position above the ground. Verb dropped low and pulled on his fog guard. From inside his jacket pocket he pulled out a light stick and cracked it. Still in a crouch, he held it beneath the ghost, revealing a mound of earth beneath its supernatural aura and a stone slab jutting out of the ground.

It was a grave.

As he waved the light stick through the fog, he could see it was not the only one. This wasteland was some sort of mass grave…

“He’s been seed-planted, Verb!” said Maleficent. “We need to close his circle of life,” she continued, her grip slackening on the handle of the sword.

Verb nodded and handed the light stick to his partner. He pushed his hand inside his jacket pocket and removed the precious angel zippo.

He flicked his thumb down, lighting the flame.

“He who dies for the truth finds holy ground everywhere for his grave,” whispered Proverb, almost in prayer.

“Hang on,” said Verb, pausing and reaching forward.

In the middle of the grave beneath the spirit was a marker with writing scrawled upon it. Verb plucked it from the ground and read it above the flame. There were five names, each beneath the next with a line separating them.

CARL

SYDNEY

KANCHUL

GERTIE

STOKER

Verb peered up at the spectre, who had now settled beside him. Through the glow of his spirit he was pointing to the name at the top.

“Carl?” asked Verb, swallowing hard.

The spirit nodded and moved back over the grave.

“This list names the flowers beneath,” said Maleficent, taking the marker from Verb.

As she moved across the garden with the spirit sword now sheathed, Maleficent cracked light sticks and threw them down near every grave in the garden.

There were ten plots, with five names on each marked list.

“Fifty bodies,” said Verb. “I’m so sorry, Carl!” he said as he stepped back and flicked his zippo ten times. Each time he did, a dark angel of black flame appeared and flew from the lighter to the graves. Each angel flickered and held position over each grave until he gave the command.

Holding the zippo to the sky Verb called out. “Descend and burn bones so the dead shall pass and return to the flint once their fate has been cast!”

The dark angels scorched into the ground and within seconds Carl’s apparition faded.

They all stood in silence in the fog, until the angels whooshed back into the zippo which steamed and closed shut.

Verb pushed it back inside his jacket and turned to his friends.

“They were the last victims of The Grinner, and I swear to you now there will be no more!” he said, staring into the strangled sky as the three of them turned and disappeared into the fog…

Meanwhile…

High on a roof-top, one block down from Amusing Avenue, a curious, little bald man retracted his fog-scope. Emerging from the shadows, he picked up the blade he had placed upon the brick wall. “Now it begins!” he muttered through his fog guard…and then he grinned.

THE END

DEED VERB, MALEFICIENT & PROVERB WILL RETURN IN… THE CASE OF ALANIS ANAPHORA.