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Tag Archives: cathryn hein

A little about setting

27 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by Paula Beavan in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Author, cathryn hein, diana gabaldon, Felicity Pulman, Hunter Valley, Jilly Cooper, Juliet Marillier, Kate Forsyth, Margo Lanagan, Norah Roberts, places, Scotland, Settings, Stephen King, writers

Hello again reader, sorry it’s been so long. All I can say is life seems to have taken some interesting twists and turns and I’m just now beginning to catch up.

My days have been jam packed and writing is only one part of the routine. But I am pleased to be able to say it still has top billing. I’ve actually been blessed with more time to call my own, but somehow, it’s also been sucked down a vortex of having to share my house again.

One of the things I’ve been contemplating is my story setting. With any novel, there needs to be research done. Even when you know your subject, there are points and information that will need checking.

2014-09-21 09.46.45

Sinclair Girnigoe Castle, Caithness, Scotland UK

Sinclair Girnigoe Castle, Caithness, Scotland UK The setting for my YA timeslip.

I began writing a YA time slip story about ten years ago, I got about half way through and got lost. I found I couldn’t write it when I had never been to Scotland. In an effort to not simply stop writing, I decided to write an Australian Historical. Maybe a short story. Just to keep my writing happening.

I found a suitable competition for a story of about 3,000 words and thought it sounded perfect. 100,000 words later I had my first ever finished first draft. It was wobbly, had no structure and way too many adverbs and adjectives, but I finished.

Fast forward seven years and several million words, well maybe a bit less, but you get the idea, and I’ve dragged out the old manuscript and have started again.

cropped-dsc00255hunter-river-luskintyre.jpg

Hunter River, setting for my historical fiction

 

The setting for this is the early settlement of the Hunter Valley and it’s been so much fun to research where we live. There is so much I didn’t know about the river and the people. Every time I come across a familiar name in historic accounts or articles I want to add yet another character to my too long list.

The setting in my stories are pretty much a character in their own right. From the wild northern coast of Scotland, to the brown ribbon of the Hunter River, I love to weave in a sense of place for my characters to move about in. I also love to read stories that ground me in the setting. I want to feel as if I am standing in the characters shoes and looking out through their eyes; smelling, feeling, experiencing everything they do.

Some of my favourite authors are really good at this and I find reading their stories inspiring. My top 5 favourite Australian writers are Kate Forsyth, Juliet Marillier, Cathryn Hein, Margo Lanagan and Felicity Pulman. But I can’t fail to mention Diana Gabaldon, Jilly Cooper, Stephen King and Nora Roberts.  I love lots of different writers for different reasons, and we’d be here all day if I listed them all. Now reader, how about you? Who are your favourite authors and why? I’d love to hear from you, so don’t be shy.

Winning and Grinning

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Paula Beavan in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

cathryn hein, Charlotte Ledger, Claytons, community, competition, development, Harper Impulse, manuscript, missed call, Paula Beavan, Romance, rural romance, RWA, winner, Writer, writing

Well hello reader, how’ve you been?

It’s been an awesome week for me. Frightening and exciting all at the same time. But I’ll come to that later.

The first thing I have to share is that last week was the Romance Writer’s of Australia’s annual conference. It’s held in beautiful Freemantle, Western Australia.  I wished I could have made it. Without being too worried about why I couldn’t, I’ll get on with telling you about what I was able to attend! The Clayton’s Conference. The wonderful people at RWA hold an online conference that runs over the same weekend as the live event, so that we, who couldn’t make it to Freemantle don’t miss out.

claytons2013logo

I signed up and I wasn’t disappointed! The online event ran from Friday evening to Sunday night and was jam packed with online sessions ran by several authors, an editor from Random House and the content developer for Harper Impulse. It was fabulous to be able to ask questions of these industry professionals in real time. Not to mention the fantastic questions that other’s asked.

I wrote last week about the wonder of the writing community and I consider myself blessed that I have found most everyone to be welcoming, encouraging and helpful. Well things have just got better.

Beyond my wildest dreams, better!

dream field

<image credit>

I won a three month manuscript development opportunity with Harper Impulse content developer Charlotte Ledger! I was so excited reader, I could barely speak! I know, hard to believe.

So, let me tell you how I came to be a winner!

When I first joined RWA I had no idea what a fantastic move it was going to be! I have Cathryn Hein to thank for recommending I join. (Cathryn writes fantastic Rural Romance, check her books out here)

Pretty soon after joining up, I saw there was a June write-a-thon about to start and I thought, why not? I had Festival barely started and going off track, so I signed up for #50ks30days and got stuck in. I met some awesome writers in the 50ks chat room and we clicked and clacked and kept each other company. Great fun and a 60K first draft done in 30 days. I was pretty happy with this, as you can imagine reader!

One subject that continued to pop up in the chat room was the RWA conference coming up! I began to wish I could go, but a only 2 months notice and lack of funds, I knew I couldn’t. Next year is in Sydney and I will be going!

Well RWA keep their members well informed and so I heard about the Clayton’s Online Conference and I signed up, I know, I’d already said that, but!!! Wait for it! An email appeared in the inbox and all the Claytoneers were invited to send in an email entry. Send in contact details with book title, word count, genre and where I was up to with the ms. I sent in Something in the Water, 65K, romantic suspense, 4th edit!

Whoo hoo, guess what reader?? Yep, I won!

winner is

<image credit>

Me, who has not won anything other than a leg of ham at the Christmas Raffle. I did! I won a THREE MONTH MANUSCRIPT DEVELOPMENT FOR SOMETHING IN THE WATER!

With Charlotte Ledger of Harper Impulse! Ha!

The funny thing was, I went to visit a friend in hospital and turned my phone to silent and missed two phone calls to tell me I’d won!

The next day I went to Sydney and on the way home I saw I’d a missed call so listened to the message! It was Dana Scully, of RWA not X Files, and she left a message to tell me that I’d won! I also received a couple of emails from her and another from Charlotte Ledger.

Anyway, I’ve sent off the synopsis for Something in the Water and the first three chapters for Charlotte to have a look at and now I wait for her response. In the meantime I’ll be finishing the 4th, or is that the 7th edit on SITW and trying to calm my crazy palpitating heart.

Have you ever won something reader? Do you even enter competitions? I don’t usually, which is probably why I never win anything. But this is one time I came out a winner. Please share your winning and grinning moment, I’d love to hear about it.

If I were to be interviewed

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Paula Beavan in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

books, cathryn hein, diana gabaldon, kerry greenwood, literature, outlander series, suspense romance

I’m always reading writer interviews and I think about how I’d answer some of these questions. So I thought I’d interview myself. Weirdo that I am!

Question: How would you describe yourself?

I’m fun loving. 40 plus (I’m not telling). I love reading, writing and day dreaming. Happily married with hundreds of borrowed children.

Me NYE 2012

Question: Who’s your favourite author?

I love many authors, but my all time faves, writer’s who’s books I purchase as soon as they are out, are Diana Gabaldon, Kerry Greenwood and my new fave is Cathryn Hein.

Outlander Series

<photo credit>

Question: Why write?

I started mucking about with writing in my teens and have had several half hearted goes at writing a novel every ten years or so. Until we started our transport company that kept my darling husband away through the week. Then I began to consider writing in earnest. Writing has become an outlet, a companion and an obsession.

Question: You wish you’d wrote? 

Probably Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series and of course, you know what I’m going to say, “Harry Potter” who wouldn’t like to have written those books.

Question: Something we don’t know about you? 

Mmm, well that’s a hard one, as you probably don’t know much about me in the first place. But, I lived on a sheep station in the Riverina when I was in my twenties and was a cook in the homestead.

sheep99

<photo credit>

Question: In one sentence tell us about your WIP? 

I’m editing Something in the Water at the moment and it’s a contemporary suspense romance set in the beautiful squalor of the Solomon Islands.

Question: Publishing? Are you? 

I dream of being published. So far though, I feel as if I’m still practising, I am unpublished. I am going to try for traditional publishing for Something in the Water, hopefully before the end of the year.

Question: What would you be doing if you weren’t writing? 

Likely, just reading and listening to audio books. My garden would probably be in a better state and I’d have a winter vegetable garden.

Image

(see what a mess my roses are)

So, there you have it, a mini selfie-interview.

If you’d like to know anything else, feel free to ask. I can’t guarantee I’ll tell you, but I will answer <wink>

Paula Beavan Author

Paula Beavan Author

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