A Day In The Life Of Pamela Fudge

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Author Pamela Fudge describes what a typical day at the office looks like for her


 

A typical writing day starts at around 7am when – the minute I open my eyes – Honey, the Pomeranian dog, and Ellie, my 20 year old cat, start clamouring to be fed. Then after a shower and breakfast, Honey is taken on the first walk of the day whatever the weather.

Any household chores (as few as I can get away with without appearing on How Clean Is Your House!) are taken care of. Then the writing day begins in earnest - usually at around 9am when I sit at my computer with a cup of tea.

Working on a new novel can be quite exciting because I don’t plot but start with a title, a basic idea, a few notes, and usually a couple of characters. I find that more interesting because I have very little idea of where the story will take me.

I might get a lot written or complete no more than a few paragraphs. The length of time I sit at my desk has no bearing on the number of words I produce. On the days when the number of words produced are few the reason may be that the story is developing slowly – which is fine - or the telephone has rung frequently or I might have had a visitor.

I know a lot of writers shut themselves away, but my family and friends mean everything to me and I will ALWAYS make time for them – even on a writing day – and, interruptions notwithstanding, I still manage to complete a book a year.

For more information about Pamela Fudge visit www.pamfudge.co.uk

Novel Number Thirteen Accepted For Publication

When I set out to be a writer I had no thoughts beyond getting a short story accepted and was thrilled beyond words when it happened within a very short time - and with the cheque I received for £34.

My short fiction continued to be published regularly and I had no bigger ambition than to continue as I was. It was joining a writing group whose members all seemed determined to get a novel published that sent me off on a different pathway. I felt a bit left out, to be honest, and felt obliged to have a go and see if I, too, could write a book. I chose to write romance for no other reason than that, at 50,000 words, it was the shortest genre - still a hell of a lot longer than a 1,000 or 2,000 short story though! I told myself that if I could get from the beginning to the end I would count that as a success, and no one was more surprised than I was when my second attempt was accepted for publication and then another one soon after.

Over the intervening years I made several attempts at writing longer books - but being widowed twice in seven years (in 1996 and 2003) knocked my confidence and eventually I went back to short story writing - just to prove to myself that I could still write.

I believe we have choices in this life and mine was to pick myself up, dust myself down and get on with my life again. Once my short stories started appearing in print again I went back to writing novels. Widow On The World (pure fiction, not an autobiography!) was accepted for publication in 2005 and I have had a book a year published ever since. In fact, there were two published last year!

Now novel number 13, Not My Affair, has been accepted and I can truthfully say that life is good.

Review of IT'S IN THE CARDS by the Bookbag

It's In The Cards by Pamela Fudge

Ellen Carson was just slightly put out that her family arranged a surprise birthday party for her fortieth, but more annoyed that they wouldn't accept that she was quite happy being single and unattached. She had a successful career as a card designer, a home she loved and no intentions of getting into any long-term relationship. What did make her wonder was why her brothers and sisters were so keen to get her involved with any remotely eligible male when their own relationships were so dysfunctional. She had no interest in the two men from her past who have come back into her life - or the one who has been hovering round the edges more in hope than expectation.

I can never resist a Pam Fudge book. I'm sure she'll forgive me for saying that they're not great literature - because great literature is not always what you want. Sometimes you want to settle down with a good story that you know is going to deliver some great characters and a hefty feel-good factor and on those counts Pam Fudge is utterly reliable. I loved Ellen Carson - happy in her own skin and doing well what she wants to do most. It's brilliant to see a heroine who isn't worried that she's not married at forty or even in a relationship. It's not that she doesn't have relationships - just that she's not bothered about settling down. How great is that? And what a change from the usual heroine who sees her ultimate aim as having a man in her life.

Men, women - they all come off the page well and you can believe in them. You'll have a rough idea of where the story is going to go but you won't know if you got it right until you turn the final page. No peeping, please!

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

We have reviews of other books by Pamela Fudge and you're sure to find something when you need the literary equivalent of a cup of delicious cocoa.

ttp://goo.gl/LbsPvS

It's In The Cards byPamela Fudge
Genre: Women's Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Not 'great' literature but a warm and engaging read for when you want the literary equivalent of a cup of delicious cocoa.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 224	Date: December 2014
Publisher: Robert Hale
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0719813696
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Book Launch 7th January 2014 at 7.30pm

You know that flat feeling when Christmas is all over?  (Yes, all right I know we haven't even had it yet, but there's no harm in thinking ahead, is there?)  It's my book launch 7th January 2015 so if you live in the Poole/Bournemouth or surrounding area, book a place - it's free - come along and say hello!

Writefor THE on-line writing course for beginners

ON-LINE WRITING COURSE  

                              

       Novelist Pamela Fudge tells us about some of the fun she had getting her on-line writing course started

How do you get an on-line writing course off the ground? Well, if you’re sensible (and me!) you go into partnership with an ex-student, Richard, from your time as a creative writing tutor. Ensure the partner has the business brain that you lack and that your ideas coincide.

My daughter, Kelly, was happy to get involved and the idea of using video clips was suggested! Photographs are one thing – all you have to do is look your best and smile nicely for the camera. Video clips mean you have to move and speak (and both at the same time!). I also had to memorise a script - a lot to ask of someone who rarely remembers what she had for breakfast.

Cue cards were the answer, but sticking them to the wall above Kelly’s head meant I was looking up instead of at the camera. Luckily we’re nothing if not inventive and the solution was to blu-tack the two sheets to Kelly’s elbows either side of the camera she was holding. When we stopped laughing it was quite successful. However, the next clip comprised four sheets and we only had two elbows available.

Using a broom handle gave us plenty of pole to stick sheets to, but having Kelly in front of me holding the camera in one hand and moving the pole upwards to keep the sheets at eye level, while clever, was hilariously funny and filming had to halt many times until we managed to get a useable version.

You can see the result on www.writefor.co.uk
                                   
If you’ve always wanted to write but don’t know where to start, this is the course for you!

If you never write the first sentence, you will never write ‘The end.’ (Pamela Fudge) www.writefor.co.uk

Reluctant For Romance published in USA

She meant to give him a piece of her mind…but lost a piece of her heart.

Yeah! Today is publication day for ‘Reluctant For Romance’ as an e-book with the American publisher, Samhain, in the Retro Romance imprint. £1.26 

http://goo.gl/RuxjJA

Carly Ray intended to march right up to Declan O’Halloran and tell him exactly what she thinks of the man whose careless driving put her mum in a Dorset hospital. But from the moment she sets foot on his building company’s work site, she’s off balance.

First of all, muddy, rock-strewn ground and power heels don’t mix. Second, the man she confronts? She’s seen those compelling, aquamarine eyes before—when he personally delivered flowers to Mum’s hospital room.

It’s Declan’s fault that Carly has to jeopardize her career to take over the care and feeding of three spoiled brothers who’ve never lifted a finger around the house. But she never expected him to offer her a job.

In spite of herself, Carly begins to fall for the kind, rugged entrepreneur. The trick will be convincing her heart she can live without him when Mum is back on her feet, and it’s time to return to London.

An Interview with Helen Summer re: her new book Mental

INTERVIEW

THE MAKING OF ‘MENTAL!’
by
Helen Summer
 

Summer 2013 was just stirring when my publisher invited me to write a book with the working title: ‘The Toughest, Bloodiest and Hardest (sporting) Challenges in the World’. Only trouble was he wanted it written in four months.

So my first job was to negotiate an extension. Two months was granted and I began my Internet research, discovering hundreds of events that might qualify for such a book. I needed to find a way to limit these, so decided to include only those that complimented one another and could be done as single events or combined to make others. For example, swimming, running and cycling, which together form a triathlon.

In keeping with the working title, the book should only include the toughest events, but as I hadn’t taken part in any of them, how could I know which these were? So I consulted sporting friends, who put me in touch with those who knew. This was a real coup as I was able to glean far more intimate details about events than would have been possible using only the Internet. Even better, my contacts allowed me to reproduce extracts from their blogs, and also provided photos.

This gave the book its human element – a first hand account of someone’s 140-mile lone run along the world’s highest motorable road in India or their cross-Channel swim complete with jelly fish - providing a real insight into the emotional and physical highs and lows, the mental battles, and the ultimate satisfaction of overcoming these to cross the finish line.

With each new, tougher event I discovered, I found myself shouting, ‘That’s mental!’ and jokingly told my publisher I’d renamed the book ‘Mental!’

‘I love it!’ said John, and that was that - ‘Mental!’ was born and thrust its way out into the world on 3^rd July 2014.

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