One of the more interesting aspects of writing is the arrival of the “helpful reader”. Formally identified by Bernard Cornwall of “Sharpe” fame, the helpful reader is more knowledgeable and even more eagle-eyed than your editor at their best (or worst). Helpful readers abound in all genres and eras but they flock to historical fiction […]
About Me
Jennie Finch on the seafront at Saltburn.
The Moth Man
The Drowners
The death of the Elver Man
All posts for the year 2014
Finding your “helpful reader”
Posted by Jennie Finch on November 20, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/finding-helpful-reader/
Writing – and Being a Writer.
The more I do this – job? thing? – the more I realize I had no idea what I was doing when I first sat down to write “Death of the Elver Man” in 2010. I had just completed my MA at Teesside University and was inspired and excited by the experience. Above all I […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on October 22, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/writing-writer/
Attention-seeking Authors
Writing a book is one thing. Getting it noticed is quite another, and that is what makes up a good percentage of a writer’s work between novels. There are a lot of ways to attract attention, some good and some not so good. An example of the latter is flooding the Twitter feed with messages, […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on October 2, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/attentionseeking-authors/
The bat squeak of fame – and Vincent Price
A rather wonderful thing happened to me last week. I was walking along the street just enjoying the sunshine when Sheila, who runs our lovely Deli “Real Meals”, ran across the road holding a copy of “The Drowners”. Somewhat breathlessly she insisted I follow her into the shop where a young couple were sitting at […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on July 22, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/bat-squeak-fame-vincent-price/
Starting over – the joy of a series
There is a strange calm that descends on a writer when the latest book is on its way to the publisher. For a few weeks the voices that have echoed around your head are silent – or at least somewhat muted. Plot twists are resolved, surprises no longer lurk around the corner and all is […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on July 2, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/starting-joy-series/
In praise of bookshops
This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to read at the official opening of our new independent book shop, “Book Corner”, in Saltburn. Nestling between the former NatWest bank and Whistlestop Wines, it is a small but perfectly formed gem run by Jenna, an aspiring writer . She has managed to create a […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on May 26, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/praise-bookshops/
Even writers need friends
It has been quite a month. First, the new book, “The Moth Man”, is finished and now I’m waiting to see the proofs before it goes to press – but more of that later. Then there was the London Book Fair and I’ve given a few thoughts on that experience in my previous post. This […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on April 26, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/writers-friends/
London Book Fair 2014
This was my second visit to the London Book Fair and I was a bit more focused this time but the whole show is so darn BIG and COLOURFUL and NOISY it is hard to avoid getting swept away by it all. It is a great opportunity to meet people face to face and to […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on April 10, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/london-book-fair-2014-2/
Somerset Levels : A Lost Landscape
When I began writing the Alex Hastings books I started with the setting. My tutor, the excellent Carol Clewlow, asked us to write a place as if it were a character, advising us that the landscape should be central to crime fiction. Reflecting on my experiences in different parts of the UK, it was the […]
Posted by Jennie Finch on February 10, 2014
https://www.jenniefinch.me.uk/lost-landscape-somerset-levels/