Seven voices – how to write a novel in multiple points of view

I was chatting on a writers’ Facebook group and this question was asked: how many points of view have you used in a novel? I used several in my most recent novel Ever Rest. Seven, actually. (Splutters in the group. And they were right; it was tricky to do.) I didn’t plan that way at first. I imagined the novel would be one point of view. Then I wrote a scene where my viewpoint guy had an…

A few weeks ago I chatted to Jenil Vyas about creative life. Here it is, in case you missed it. At the time I remarked that he’d asked me the best question ever. Jenil decided he had even more questions – so here we are again. This time we discuss: Choosing names for fictional characters and whether they outgrow them as the story develops. Writing characters with emotional truth. Giving the…

Last month I released the audiobook version of Ever Rest, my third novel. All creative collaborations bring surprises, so here are the lessons learned. Meet my narrator My narrator was Sandy Spangler, who narrated my other two novels. Sandy is a longtime friend who designs computer games, but I didn’t know she had also trained as a voice actor. In 2014 I had a generous sponsorship offer from…

Very quickly… The audiobook of Ever Rest is available! Immense thanks to my narrator Sandy Spangler, who voiced my text with such care and sensitivity, and to Talitha and Jack whose generous sponsorship made this production possible. I’m incredibly lucky to have you all. The link will take you to a range of audio stores and subscription services. If it’s not yet at your usual store, it’s going…

How to build a reading list around a subject – and discover the best titles about the allure, tragedy and majesty of mountaineering

I’ve discovered a great site for building a reading list around a subject – Book Shepherd. It invites authors to list their personal favourite titles in subjects that they’re passionate about, whether through personal experience or diligent research. If you’re a writer, you can find what’s been written in your genre or subject area, and discover books that have made a deep impression on your…

Would Ever Rest suit your book club? Here's a FREE book to help you decide #goodreads #lovereading #literaryfiction

My third novel Ever Rest, has been in the wilds for a few weeks now. It still feels very new to me. I’m still watching its reviews more than I should. Several reviewers have mentioned they’d like to introduce it to their book clubs, so I’ve created these crib notes, to use as a primer before reading, or a refresher afterwards. I’ve included key themes, suggested questions for discussion, and an…

Making my honest art – writing and publishing literary fiction: interview at @thecreativepenn

Today I’m at Joanna Penn’s now legendary podcast, The Creative Penn, talking about writing and publishing literary fiction. We cover the writing process for a very long-haul book (ie Ever Rest), the research process, creative revision, how you battle on when you’ve lost your way, and how you design a cover for a book that doesn’t have established genre parameters. We also cover another big…