Taking A Break

What's that saying - you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink. It's a bit like sitting a writer down at a keyboard and then saying, go on then, write a book. Fine in theory but if the well's dry then...

This brings me to my next non-water-based comment - I'm taking a break. 

I love being a writer. I still can't quite believe that I've published in double figures. And I love sharing my knowledge with other indie authors and aspiring writers. But I have been finding it increasingly hard to 'find time' for writing. 

This constant quest to sit down and bang out the next book is actually making me feel ill. And guilty. All the guilt. I have never been one of those write everyday authors. I don't do getting up at sparrows fart or staying up until the cows come home in order to write. I am, and probably always will be, a here and there, fits and starts kinda writer. And that's fine. But right now, I am a writer on a break.

When I first mooted the idea of having a break - with myself - I was instantly thrown into a guilt-ridden pit of despair. You can't be a writer if you're not writing. And if you're not writing then what are you good for? What's your purpose? Where's your worth?

That did my mental health the world of good. And yet I still wasn't able to 'find the time' to write. Everything else became way more important and I was the self-crowned queen of procrastination. I think I kinda always will be, but that's another story.

So here I am, about to step into March with less than 10000 words written total on my WIP which I started last year. And here I am deciding to take a knee. So to speak.

I have several training courses to go through. 

I have let a lot of self-publishing/indie-author tasks slide so it's time to get my house in order. Once I've had a break first.

I didn't stop through lockdown. I didn't stop when I was pregnant or when my daughter was recently born. Now however, I need to stop. To coin a phrase, I have no spoons left. 

I am actually at the beginning of my second week of taking a break and already I've found the energy to do some of the tasks that have been on my I'll get to it eventually list. So I know this is what I should be doing for myself. Do I feel guilty? Of course I do but at the end of the day I am still a writer, even if I'm not writing right now, this second. 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Elaine Everest

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Elaine Everest.

Elaine is the author of bestselling novels The Woolworths Girls, The Butlins Girls, Christmas at Woolworths and The Teashop Girls. She was born and raised in North-West Kent, where many of her bestselling historical sagas are set.

She grew up listening to tales of the war years in her hometown of Erith, which has inspired her own stories.

Elaine has been a freelance writer for 25 years and has written over 100 short stories and serials for the women’s magazine market. She is also the author of a number of popular non-fiction books for dog owners. When she isn’t writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school in Hextable, Kent. She now lives in Swanley with her husband, Michael and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry.

What kind of books do you write?

My books are set mainly during WW2 and are about women, friendship, and how they cope on the Home Front. Occasionally I drift further back to the early 1900s and my next book, The Woolworths Saturday Girls starts in 1950. My memorable settings have been Woolworths, Butlins and Lyon’s Teashops. 

Can you describe your writing why?

I’ve been a freelance writer since 1997 so in a way I write because it is my living – it is not a hobby. Saying that I did start in short fiction, articles and non-fiction books and later moved to novels, which is my main occupation these days. Would I ever stop writing? Catch me on a grumpy day and I’ll say yes I’d retire tomorrow as I’d like to enjoy my life without thinking of deadlines, social media, editing, and chart numbers. However, I’d miss the storytelling, the research and meeting people who tell me about their lives and how they relate to my books.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I loved writing these simple words from A Mother Forever as I feel it sums up perfect love.

‘I won’t let you go,’ he promised as he searched her face before gently kissing her lips. ‘I’ll never let you go.’

Tell us about your latest project

My latest book, The Patchwork Girls, is set in Biggin Hill amongst women who sew and ‘make do and mend’. Helen has returned home after the sudden death of MP husband and has to start her life over again. She is living with her mother and stepfather and has no idea what she will do with herself until she joins a sewing circle. I also manage to add a dog kennels and the dogs abandoned during WW2, which was a major problem. 

What is your favourite cake?

I love coffee and walnut although chocolate cake runs a close second. A popular way to celebrate book launches is to have afternoon tea (with lots of cake) and my friends.  

You can connect with Elaine here:

Website and blog: www.elaineeverest.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/ElaineEverestAuthor

Twitter: @ElaineEverest

Amazon author page: shorturl.at/qvKO0

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Marjorie Mallon. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

A Slice of Cake With... Georgia Tingley

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Georgia Tingley. 

Georgia has lived in various countries while growing up – India, England, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. She calls Western Australia home, living near some of the best beaches in Australia.

In her downtime, she loves to read, watch TV shows and movies, do crafts and get into the garden. Swimming and snorkelling are favorite pastimes, and she tries to swim laps at every opportunity.

With a caravan at their disposal, she and her husband love to travel around Australia and get away at least every couple of months to see all that this wide, red land has to offer. 

Please feel free to say g’day!

What kind of books do you write?

I have a series called Angel Calling which features angelic beings that come down to Earth to help humans by restoring justice, helping them learn to cope with paranormal powers, and fight evil including Justice & An Unholy Gift.

I also write a series called Mature Love which features women over the age of 35. It highlights how they cope with ageing and finding true love after divorce, grown children, childlessness, etc. Having Faith & All The Dumb Things. 

I’ve been involved in an anthology series with a paranormal holiday theme called A Perfectly Paranormal … with five other Australian authors. The stories are fun, sexy, and quirky - A Perfectly Paranormal Valentine and A Perfectly Paranormal Halloween. 

I wrote a Christmas novella, Whistler Wonderland, that won Romance Writers of Australia Book of the Year – the Ruby Award, in 2020. 

My local writing centre puts out an anthology each year with different themes and I’ve entered short stories – under 3,000 words in these. Two horror tales and one humorous one.

Can you describe your writing why?

I’m no different than any other author in that I’ve always loved to read and that progressed to writing stories and then books. The creating process is my absolute favourite, I love to work out all the details, the emotions, the crafting of the plots and subplots, the conflict and resolution. Taking a reader on a journey without leaving their home is my drug of choice. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

From Justice. 

Outstretched arms were raised toward the moon, and a golden glowing aura surrounded his body. Spiraling downward and touching the ground, it rapidly covered the short distance to encircle the grave. He looked to the heavens once more with arms spanned to either side. An energy source not known to mankind enveloped his body and raised him inches off the ground. 

Infused with an unearthly power, he lowered, his feet now once more in contact with the ground. Fingers spread, he positioned a hand over the grave and focused his power, willing its secrets to be revealed.  

The bones gradually started to ease from their resting place and rise. Thick rubble dropped away, soil and small clumps of dirt and rock falling back into the grave. Unearthed, and encased by a gilded veil, a small childlike skeletal body was released, floating above its burial bed. His eyes locked onto the form.

Tell us about your latest project

My story - All Hallows Forever, is one of five in the latest paranormal romance anthology I’m involved in called, A Perfectly Paranormal Halloween. The story has two parts to it and begins in 1828 then fast forwards to the present day. This is the blurb – 

1828 – Bryn Doyle is dying. Against his wife’s wishes, he answers an advertisement for experimental therapy from which he emerges irrevocably and completely altered. Returning home on All Hallows Eve - a night when the doorway to the ‘otherworld’ is opened, he makes a fatal mistake. Controlled by a wild bloodlust, the night ends with tragic consequences. A powerful warlock offers a solution – but it’s one that comes with an endless cycle of love followed by devastating loss – every reincarnation on 31st October.

Present Day – Deciding he can’t do it anymore; Bryn begs the warlock to break the spell - this Hallows Eve will be the last. But something is different about this time – can the complete opposite to everything he expected be just perfect?

What is your favourite cake?

I’m going to be pretty boring here, but my favourite cake is Sara Lee Pound Cake! Unfortunately, they don’t sell it anymore in Australia! Boo :( After that it would have to be a Chocolate Orange Jaffa Cake – it’s what I had as my wedding cake.

Connect with Georgia here:

Website: georgiatingley.com
Subscribe to her newsletter: georgiatingley.com/contact-us
Facebook: facebook.com/Georgia-Tingley-Author-1744372182538403
Twitter: twitter.com/GeorgiaTingley1
Instagram: instagram.com/georgiatingley

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Elaine Everest. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

My Thoughts On Encanto

I was really excited to watch Encanto and made sure I cleared the day to watch it when it came out. The kids did the usual running around and screaming, not paying attention and making it difficult for me to fully enjoy the film. I got to the end and went 'eh'.

Don't get me wrong it was bright and colourful, full of culture and songs. Lots and lots of songs. I chalked it up to a Disney movie I probably wouldn't watch again. 

Then TikTok got hold of the songs and at first, I didn't realise what I was listening to. 

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa
Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'till you just go pop, whoa
Give it to your sister, your sister's older
Give her all the heavy things we can't shoulder
Who am I if I can't run with the ball?
If I fall to

Lots of videos of sisters singing with each other. Then came the masterpiece that is We don't talk about Bruno. Man, that song grows on you. 

I've since watched the film again and enjoyed it much more the second time around. I listen to the soundtrack at least once a day and the children and I sing about Bruno often. 

The thing about the songs is there really is something for everyone. When Mirabel sings about the family Madrigal you feel the love that families are made of. But when she sings of not having any powers, it reminds you of everything you've ever desperately wanted but never been able to have. When Luisa sings her pressure song, it hits home hard - we all have incredible amounts of pressure upon us at all times and as women it's something we just keep doing, give us another donkey, we can take it. 

I know that's a song that has resonated with a lot of people. All the feels. But I also feel deeply with Isabela's song What Else Can I Do? because she's realising that perfection isn't all she can do, she can make other things that might not look perfect but are still perfect. Wow, that's a lot of perfects. But it reminds me of making children.

I just made something unexpected
Something sharp, something new
It's not symmetrical or perfect
But it's beautiful and it's mine
What else can I do?

I love music and I love the way it makes me feel. I am loving listening to the Encanto songs and dancing around the front room. Thanks, Disney. 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Bambi Harris

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Bambi Harris.

Bambi is the Australian-American author of numerous novels, most notably the popular, Afterlife Series, an Afterlife-based series that follows Penny Lane's chaotic day to day life beyond her death. 

​A prolific novelist and instinctive luminary, her books are touted for their unique voice and engaging storylines. Catering to both adult and young adult in content, her themes include death, romance, murder, time travel, history, the supernatural, and most of all, mystery.

She lives with her husband and dogs in rural USA in a historical museum themed house. She enjoys antiques, history, vintage clothing and charitable pursuits.

Other than that she is a complete mystery.

What kind of books do you write?

Paranormal Murder Mysteries (including thriller/romance/various time periods), 1960s Time Travelling Coma Patient series, Afterlife Series (set in the afterlife), 1800s Post Mortem Photographer Paranormal Murder Mystery Series and Inspirational Quotes.

Can you describe your writing why?

Unconventionally, I am not a reader. I didn't write when I was younger, and I can not tell you what compelled me. But one day when I was 27, I declared my intent to write a book, and so I did. Everyone liked it so much that I realized I was a good storyteller, so I wrote another. Now I have written forty-two so far and I am always being asked for more. The interest in my stories is why I write. The way they make people feel inspired is why I write. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

(I have written so many so just one of many favorites).

“Okay, okay,” he nodded like a salesman preparing for his pitch. “So say you just spent a few hours worrying about me punching you. Would it hurt more?”

I tried to think about where he would go with this but it was harder to contemplate in a dream state. “No, it would hurt the same whether I worried about it or not.”

“Ah ha! So you agree that worrying about it before hand was pointless?”

“Yes.”

“And worrying about it didn’t help you prepare for it?”

“No, because I didn’t know it was coming.”

“Exactly.” He leaned in to me. “So part one of this lesson; worrying about something is a waste of time because it won’t change the outcome.”

I held on to his teaching for a moment and took it to heart, knowing what he meant. “What is part two?”

He almost jumped with glee and spun around excitedly. “Just a change of perspective for back up so hold on. Okay, say if you knew it was coming, then you would worry about it because it was inevitable.”

“Okay?”

“Haven’t you ever worried about something and then when it finally happened it was nowhere near as bad as what you thought?”

“Lots of times,” I replied.

“So remember those moments when you start to feel the fear, Penny Lane. Your mind can create far worse realities than the physical world. Wouldn’t you then agree that ridding yourself of your imagined concerns would unburden your life a million times over?”

“Well when you put it that way, I guess if I was only left with real incidents, it’s not so bad.”

“Great, we are on the same page, groovy chick, you’re a true prodigy!”

Ghost Retrieval and Cappuccino (The Afterlife Series)

Tell us about your latest project

I have recently finished the paranormal murder mystery, The Bus. In 1968 four women were found slain in the back of buses in the small town of Haunting Pines. No witnesses, no suspects, no evidence.

Five years later, Skye Guthrie is sent to report on the recent 1973 murders that mirror the last spate of gruesome killings. After befriending an enigmatic writer with a secretive past, she tries to penetrate the wall of silence and get the locals to speak with her. Confronted with unrelenting rain and fog, she is swept up by an old haunting while facing the immediate danger of an elusive killer. Worse, she bears the burden of an old tragedy, returning to the place where a murder during her childhood set her name in infamy.

What is your favourite cake?

I can't eat gluten but I could never say no to a strawberry cheesecake.

Connect with Bambi here:

Website: www.bambiharris.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bambiharris.author

YouTube: bit.ly/youtubebambiharrischannel

Check out her books on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Bambi-Harris/e/B006SHIY16

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Georgia Tingley. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

Do You Need To Be Organised?

It has occurred to me that I always seem to be striving for being organised and yet never quite get there. This brings me to my question - do you need to be organised?

If you manage to always hit those deadlines regardless because somehow that last-minute bit of attention is always enough then do you actually need to get all your ducks in a row beforehand?

Perhaps the stress of trying to be organised all the time isn't worth the energy.

I mean sure, a calendar is a useful thing. You can put appointments in one place and hopefully never forget a meeting. And add in all the school dates. Plus birthdays. How can it not go wrong?

There are fundamentals to running a household that have to be met. Washing, ironing, cleaning and such like, food shopping, essential DIY blah, blah, blah. At least I don't have a garden to worry about.

But I mean, once you've got all those things in hand, is there really any need for further organisation? Well, I expect the answer is probably yes, however, I fear I will never get there as I continue to lurch from one deadline to another fuelled by blind panic that I'm getting further and further behind.

I remember a conversation I had with my other half about my writing deadlines. I'm an indie author so I don't have anyone asking for my manuscript by a certain date but I find that without deadlines things drift and I don't get the writing done. He thinks it's hilarious that I put so much pressure on myself.  

Do you need to be organised to meet deadlines?

Maybe it's a case of certain personalities that work better under organisational regulations whilst others get disillusioned fast when creativity is stymied. 

Or maybe I am just a ditherer, always trying to be organised and always managing to procrastinate the actual act of organisation. As we fly through 2022 (can't believe it's February already) I'm beginning to think that I should give in to my desire to be unorganised and save myself some stress. 

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me. 

A Slice of Cake With... Jan Baynham

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Jan Baynham.

After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction. From then on, she was hooked! She soon went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel-writing course, she began to write her first full-length novel. She loves being able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories. Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Cardiff with her husband. She values friendship and support from other writers and regularly attends conferences, workshops, talks and get-togethers. She is co-organiser of her local Chapter, Cariad.

What kind of books do you write?

My novels are dual narratives about families and their deeply held secrets. The stories are set in rural mid-Wales where I was born and grew up and a contrasting foreign location. The books deal with relationships between mothers and daughters, forbidden love due to cultural or class differences and how decisions made in one generation can impact the lives of future generations. 

Can you describe your writing why?

Reading has always given me so much pleasure and the motivation for me to write stories that may give other readers enjoyment is a strong reason for me to write. Sometimes a nugget of an idea will be enough to spark the ‘what if?’ questions. Nothing gives me more pleasure after my novel has been published than to receive messages from readers saying how much they’ve enjoyed it. When doubt sets in about my writing ability – and it does, often – a message, an email or a letter expressing enjoyment and asking when the next book will be out is enough to get me writing with enthusiasm again.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I think your first published novel is always special. My debut, Her Mother’s Secret, is partly set in Greece. This paragraph is about Alexandra’s first view of the island where her mother had spent the summer of ’69, twenty-two years before. Although the Greek island is fictional, I enjoyed reminiscing about the occasions we’d visited a new part of Greece for the first time. 

In no time, I arrived at the island of Péfka and took in the view of the harbour and the town behind it. Lemon, pink and white-painted buildings with terracotta ridged tiled roofs glistened in the strong sun. They formed a guard around a pretty stone quayside, filled with every kind of sea-going vessel from luxury yachts to humble fishing boats. A large flagpole dominated the jetty that jutted out into the water and sported the distinctive blue and white Greek flag. The view was not a complete surprise. I’d read my mam’s diary many times, and I knew exactly how Péfka harbour and its quayside would look…

When I’d first read the diary entry about arriving on the island, I had been sceptical about the flowery language she’d used but when I stepped onto the quayside, I took a deep breath. Mam had not exaggerated. The parasols were now a bright blue but the taverna was still Xante’s. Flowers tumbling in abundant tresses from terracotta pots and urns adorned the fronts of houses and shops, balconies and steps. I spotted the Parthenis boutique where Mam had bought the dress she’d worn to the painting school party. It was as if time had stood still here and through the diary, I felt I was returning not visiting for the first time.

Tell us about your latest project

I’ve just begun working on novel four. Although I know things will change, I always like to write a detailed plan, almost a synopsis of the whole story before I start to write and this is what I did first. In this novel, I shall be looking at the relationship between sisters rather than mothers and daughters as I’ve done before. The story is set in 1943 and 1961, in mid-Wales where there was an actual prisoner of war camp and in Sicily where my Italian POW character is from. I am getting to know my characters and trying to get inside their heads. I’m at the stage now where I’m reading real-life accounts of what it was like for the prisoners in the camps and how much freedom they had to work on local farms. One fascinating part of my research so far is how the Italians built their own chapels in which they could worship. One in west Wales is still standing and I’m hoping to visit there soon. In this novel, there are secrets that are not discovered until it is too late, a forbidden love affair, the heart ruling the head, and sibling rivalry.

What is your favourite cake?

I love cake! To pick a favourite was very hard but, in the end, I had to choose a coffee and walnut sponge cake. The two layers would be filled and topped with thick, strong coffee buttercream and sprinkled with crushed walnuts inside a circle of walnut halves around the edge. Yummy!

You can connect with Jan here:

Twitter: @JanBaynham 
Facebook page: Jan Baynham Writer 
Blog: Jan’s Journey Into Writing 
To find out about all her books, please visit Jan Baynham Amazon Author Page 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Bambi Harris. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.