R. L. Stedman

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Book Review: Local Books – When Our Jack Went To War

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Local Books – Book Review

A post shared by RL Stedman (@rlstedman) on

When Our Jack Went To War

A Rare, 5 Star Review

Sandy Mckay’s gorgeous ‘When Our Jack Went To War’ is a story that deals with small life events set against world-changing wars. The book is told as letters between Tom, a young boy in Dunedin, and Jack, his older brother – because in 1916, as The Great War begins, Jack volunteers for the army.

In turns funny and sad, the book is a great read for any kid (or adult) who wants to know more about WW1. Longacre, the publisher, has formatted it beautifully: the story contains excerpts from papers, reproduced in their original typesetting, and the letters between the two boys are set out like photographs of real letters. This breaks the text into manageable chunks, making it particularly useful for school reads.

McKay is a tutor in English Literacy, and the syntax of this book is noticeably accessible. I don’t know if she did this on purpose, but When Our Jack Went To War is written in a way that allows less able readers to be drawn into the story. It’s a great choice especially for boys who want to read a chapter book, but don’t feel like sitting down for too long!

More Information

I’ve also popped this review on my Goodreads page – and above is from my Instagram feed.

The photo is taken of When Our Jack Went To War against the Dunedin cenotaph. The flowers are Armistice Day wreaths.

Jack, by the way, was a real person.

Starting a Writing Podcast? 6 Reasons to Give It A Go.

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Why Start A Podcast?

teenager - school visitPodcasts are HUGE right now! Here’s a list of my faves. I’ve never dreamed of doing one myself, but I know a lot of writers who have thought of starting one. Which brings me to my good mate, Vanda Symon.

Local is Cool

Vanda’s a best-selling crime writer, host of Otago Access Radio’s (OAR) Write On radio show and podcast, a mum and to top it off – she’s finishing up her Ph.D. She’s a busy lady 🙂

OAR’s studio recently had a refit, so now it has acoustic sound baffles, professional microphones, and earphones. There’s a sound engineer in another booth so the sound quality is very good.

Vanda’s been running her radio show for ages – she’s even interviewed me a couple of times! (To me, as a newbie, all the technology felt quite intimidating – I was in awe at how Vanda handles the equipment).

Although Vanda began with a relatively small show, on a local radio station, podcasting has allowed her to branch into other radio activities. Part of this interview deals with where podcasting can take you.

If you’re thinking of starting a podcast, or keen to find out about a great podcast focussing on local content, this post is for you.

So enough of me – over to Vanda!

Lessons Learned from Podcasting

Tell me a little bit about yourself – what made you begin Write On?

I had absolutely no intention of producing or hosting a radio show! Someone else had pitched the idea of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors having a programme on the local Community Access Radio station, and we all thought it was a great idea, especially as she was prepared to do it… then, after securing a sponsor and all lights green for go… she had a position come up in another city. Arghhhh, someone had to be brave and step into the breach, and that someone was me. I was petrified.

What have you learned from the process?

Getting involved with Community Radio was one of the best things to happen to me. Hosting the radio show gave me the self-confidence to feel happy doing public speaking – very useful for an author. The skill of being able to interview people lead to opportunities chairing panels at festivals and interviewing some very cool international authors at public events, such as Kathy Reichs, Ian Rankin, and Greg Hurwitz. I had to learn the technical elements of producing your own show, which means that when I am live on air I am basically running the station…oh, the power! You learn how to think on your feet – what to do on live radio when your guest is a one-word answerer, or you guest likes to take the scenic route to tell a story. You learn to stay calm under pressure, especially when there are technical glitches and you are doing live radio. It is a wonderfully enriching experience, and best of all, it’s a lot of fun.

Questions on School Visit

What other radio experience do you have?

As a result of the Write On Radio show, I was asked to do regular book reviews for National Radio, and even Dunedin Television! I often get asked to do the Morning Show on Otago Access Radio when their regular host is away. Doing the Write On Radio show has opened some interesting doors.

What would you say to anyone thinking of starting a podcast?

Do it! It may seem rather terrifying, but it is great for your confidence, broadens your horizons, you get to research some cool topics and meet fascinating people. Prepare your material well and embrace the opportunities. What’s not to love?

What’s been the most random experience to date?

The strangest thing is having people come up to you in the street or at the supermarket and say they were listening to you on radio – I still find that odd, gratifying, but odd.

Do you have any other “top tips”?

One of the best, best things about hosting the radio show has been the fantastic people I’ve been able to meet. From authors to booksellers to publishers to illustrators, to book lovers. These individuals are passionate about their writing or their industry and it has been a blessing to be able to talk to them about it. I always read the books of people I am interviewing, and it has been fascinating learning new things about topics I would never normally have read about. It has forced me out of my comfort zone and opened up new worlds of knowledge and opportunities. Hosting the radio show has been brilliant!

Vanda Symon, podcaster extrodinaire

Want to find out more?

You can find out more about Vanda on her website: www.vandasymon.com

And you can listen to her podcast here

Book Review – Local Books: Forbidden Love

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Forbidden Love: A Book Review of The Larnachs

I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts based on the local literary scene.

writer's notebook
Notebook – Image from Pixabay

Side note: I live in Dunedin, a UNESCO city of literature, where we’re blessed with an extraordinary amount of books, novels, authors and artists.

You can find out more about the scene through Beverly Marshall’s literary tours

The Larnachs by Owen Marshall

The Larnachs

The Larnachs, by Owen Marshall.

Here’s my review from Goodreads:

The Larnachs is a beautifully told tale of a forbidden love affair. This story is based on the true story of Constance Larnach and her step-son, Dougie Larnach, and her husband, William Larnach, a self-made millionaire, politician, and dreamer. Larnach’s now mostly known for his eponymous Castle, but in the days of the disastrous affair, he was a member of parliament and a well-known figure in Dunedin.

The story moves between Dougie and Constance’s point of view, and as the narrative moves inevitably to its terrible ending, the reader can’t help feel sympathy for the star-crossed lovers. I particularly enjoyed this book as its set really close to me, so I know the locations well.

Marshall’s done a lovely job of interweaving local lore with historical fact, but The Larnachs never slips into drily-told history.

I thoroughly recommend this book, partly because of the historical context, but also because it poses a central question: what to do when you fall in love with someone totally off-limits? Can love really conquer all?

Local Setting

Larnach’s Castle still stands today. Want to see the castle Larnach built?

Love Stranger Things? Here’s some books you’ll love

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Did you binge-watch Stranger Things 1 &2? Were you bereft when the series ended?

Don’t be sad! Instead – Read a Book 🙂

If you enjoyed Stranger Things – here’s 5 books to try.

All these stories have things similar to the TV series: they’ve got kids as protagonists, they’re set in a twisted version of the real world, and there are hidden entrances to and from a hidden, unseen dimension. And they all have a noir, gothic vibe.

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

This wonderful story is about two adversaries, doomed to fight a deathly battle. Their battleground? A circus. But not your average circus: no – this is The Night Circus, a place of mystery, illusion and magic.

The Night Circus

The Ogre Downstairs – Diana Wynne Jones

Casper and Johnny call their new stepfather ‘the ogre.’ Until he gives them a chemistry set. And things begin to change… Like, they discover flying … The Ogre Downstairs is suitable for ages 9+ and it’s a great read-aloud story.

The Ogre Downstairs

Carrie – Stephen King

Definitely not suitable for bed-time reading, this is Stephen King’s first published novel. Carrie is a girl with strange abilities, a religious zealot mother and a dysfunctional high-school. Unlike Stranger Things, Carrie doesn’t contain portals – but there’s definitely a darkness to this story. I would bet it was an influence on Stranger Things.

 

Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling

Everyone knows about this book! The reason I’ve put it in this list? It’s because the film-makers actually talked about the importance of having a ‘Voldemort’ figure in the sequel. I’m sure they unconsciously (or consciously) drew themes from the Potter world. There’s no magic in Stranger Things, but there’s kids and portals and the powers of darkness, so there are definite similarities.

 

The Call of Cthulhu – H. P. Lovecraft

True disclosure: I’ve not read Cthulhu. But it is so important to the horror genre, and especially to D&D players, I had to add it. Besides, the Duffer brothers referenced it also, when talking about how they developed their antagonist.

Cthulhu was published in 1928, and documents the “Great Old Ones,” mysterious creatures that kind of look like people with octopus heads. The Cthulhu once ruled Earth, and by the end of the story they may again… Lovecraft’s influence on fantasy horror is huge, and the concept of the Cthulhu has been used over and over again, in a variety of literature.

Cthulhu

 

Love Books? Try a Literary Tour in Dunedin, a City of Literature

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Literary Tours

Love travel and books? Here’s a chance to combine your passions – take a Literary Tour!

Let me introduce Beverly Martens. Beverly is a communications expert who moved to Dunedin several years ago. A lover of books and writing, last year Beverly decided to set up a small business, taking visitors to Dunedin on tours of our vibrant literary scene.

Beverly’s story is an interesting insight into the varied places writing can take you, and her tours offer visitors a chance to explore a city famed for its literary history – away from the normal tourist trails.

Beverley Marten of Dunedin Walking Tours
Beverly Martens

I’ve asked Beverly to tell her story in her own words. Here it is below:

Literary Walking Tours, Dunedin

Hi, I’m Beverly Martens, owner/guide of Literary Walking Tours in Dunedin. 

I was looking for fulfilling part-time work, but as I ‘d been focussed on writing these past few years, my previous business contacts had gone stale, and I was over qualified for many of the part-time jobs available.

However, with Dunedin now an official UNESCO City of Literature, I saw a unique opportunity to merge my new literary life with  my previous marketing and pr skills and start this new small business.

Also,  I’d had recent experience running a monthly Wine Club,  so I knew how to host people and give them a great time!

– Why did you decide to base your tour here in Dunedin? Did you look at similar tours that are done elsewhere?

My tours would have no context if Dunedin wasn’t a UNESCO City of Literature (only one of twenty world-wide). Once we got that designation it kind of all made sense.

And yes, I researched walking tours in other cities, including Paris and Dublin etc, but I doubt I’m ever going to dress up in period costume and start spouting Shakespeare.  What I offer is in-depth knowledge about Dunedin’s writing scene from both a historical and current perspective.

Old-Fashioned Romance

– Where do you go on your tour? What do people like to see?

I offer two separate walks:  one through the historic part of the University of Otago campus, and a shorter (1½ hour walk) around the centre of Dunedin that showcases both some historic buildings and the key figures that have shaped  Dunedin as a place where writers live thrive.

Guests enjoy both the historic buildings and the anecdotes I tell.

– What is it about the writers you feature on your tour that people love hearing about?

The human-ness of our key NZ literary figures. Being a full-time writer has never been an easy choice for anyone, and those choices have consequences (mostly good) that still resonate in the city today.

– What do people most say they enjoy?

‘Dunedinites’  love being a tourist in their own city; discovering out-of-the-way places that they didn’t even know existed!

Overseas visitors are charmed by our historical buildings, and how I weave through the continuing influence of some of the province’s founders into the opportunities (such as writing fellowships and writing competitions) available to writers living here now. Also, some of the  quirky projects Dunedin has are interesting. For example, our ‘mini libraries’ Lilliput Libraries, poems on the back of our parking meter tickets, and so on.

– Where can people find you?

My website is  www.literarytours.nz  or you can email me at: info@literarytours.nz

The Perils and Pitfalls of Writing a Trilogy

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Writing a Trilogy? Here’s What to Do (And What Not To Do)

SoulNecklace Stories (Box Set)

I’ve just published the final book in The SoulNecklace Stories.

This feels like a momentous occasion; it certainly has felt like a lot of work! This series has been nearly eight years in the making, with a fair number of fits and starts along the way.

So this blog post is like a message to my former self – as well as to anyone embarking on a trilogy. Here’s the things I wish I’d done, plus the (few) things I did do that worked well.

Top learnings:

Do

  • Write them! Series are great! They are actually a heck of a lot easier than writing stand-alone novels, because you don’t have to reinvent another world or another set of characters. Writing A Memory of Fire, the last book in my SoulNecklace Stories, felt a little like slipping on a comfy pair of slippers. Once I’d settled on the plot, I could just go.
  • Build your world-rules carefully. When writing fantasy, or indeed any fiction, you create a fictional world. This world has rules: things that are allowed, or not allowed.  Readers are (generally) content to go with these rules, but they do become upset when they spot an inconsistency.

Typically, a writer will have rules that are based around location or appearance (you can’t have a black-haired character suddenly becoming blonde without a reason) but in fantasy the rules are way more extensive and can include magic, technology, religion, geography: in fact, any part of life. This makes writing fantasy fun, but full of pitfalls.

As a writer, it can be hard to remember all your rules, especially once you’re 300,000 words in!

  • Draw maps and pictures. This helps to navigate around castles, houses, villages, countries, whatever. Once I figured this trick out I could get a feeling for distance (how long would it take to travel 40 leagues – and how long is a league anyway?)
  • Plan a little bit, but not too much. I found it helpful to have an idea of the stories ultimate destination (and no, not going to give that spoiler away), but by not being too settled on what would happen too early, interesting characters emerged. Like the Kamaye, the Wayhouses, TeSin and Ma Evans. They all spontaneously arose from my subconscious. I’d not planned for them at all, but weaving their stories into the main narrative added a lot to the overall depth.
  • Write faster! I really wish I’d just knuckled down and put the words on the page. Instead, I became distracted by other projects. This was partly fear – what if the conclusion was awful, what if no-one liked it. So, all in all, it took nearly 8 years to complete the series, but if I’d gotten over my fear issues I could have finished it a lot sooner.

WTF

Don’t

  • Don’t bother too much with the marketing until you’ve finished the series. I really wish I’d figured this out earlier. No point on worrying about Facebook ads or Goodreads giveaways until the series is completed. On a plus side, once a series is completed suddenly readers are very happy, because they can binge-read.
  • Don’t overpromise.  I found that I needed breaks from my imaginary worlds to retain the joy of the process, and this meant I had slow periods. Plus, because writing a series just takes so darn long, life gets in the way. This is part of the writing challenge, but it’s hard to explain to an impatient publisher or reader.
  • Don’t be daunted by the amount of work. Writing a novel is a huge amount of work. Writing a trilogy … oh man! It’s way more! You have to be totally committed before starting, because this world and these characters will be part of your life for a couple of years. It’s a big deal, taking on a two-year project, and not being certain of the outcome. All the time, through your head, a little voice murmurs: What if it’s no good. What if no-one likes it? What if no-one buys it? What if, what if…

And Finally

The most important lesson to anyone embarking on series: ditch the fear. Just do it anyway. You’ll be glad you did.

And, as a bonus, the third book might be so much fun to write that you might be tempted to write another book, or even just a novella, in the same universe.

A Long, Long Life

But that’s another story…

 

You can find The SoulNecklace Stories online or, in hard copy as individual titles on this website, or at your local library.