I have decided to do something not many authors are willing to do and am to publish my new novel, online, as when it is written - typos, grammatical errors, the lot.
Liverpool is a bit of a departure for me. All my novels so far have been set post WW2 and have been written in the 3rd person. Liverpool is written in the first person so is told from just one view point. It starts in 1912 and tells the story of Sarah Levy, a young woman who moves with her family to Liverpool. Her father is a professor at the university and her mother is a social climber. Sarah is expected to find a wealthy husband but instead falls in love with a young lecturer who is heavily involved in the Labour movement. She also becomes enchanted with a young poor girl called Nellie who is a talented singer and goes on to become famous. The three people's lives will intertwine and of course the first world war will feature, which means lots and lots of research. But I know if people are reading it, I will feel more inclined to keep on with it.
Following in the footsteps of writers such as Dickens, Bronte and Hardy, I am publishing it in weekly instalments (online of course, this is the 21st century!) with each chapter being removed each Friday. I'm hoping to garner lots of comments and suggestions from people as this is the book I am going to try and find an agent with.
Chapter 1 of Liverpool can be found at http://sites.google.com/site/lunchtimereaders It will be removed at 9pm Friday 3rd April and replaced by Chapter 2.
Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of Two Become One. I will be forwarding the profits to the Teenage Cancer Trust shortly. To anyone else who is interested in buying Two Become One, it will be available via all major online booksellers from next month. In the meantime, if you wish to buy a copy, email me at zeiasonline@googlemail.com
ciao for now
Showing posts with label liverpool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label liverpool. Show all posts
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Friday, 27 March 2009
When Hollywood Gets It Wrong
Anyone who knows me well knows I love Ben Stiller. Zoolander, There's Something About Mary and Dodgeball are amongst my favourite films EVER. So it was with heavy heart that I was forced to miss going to see Tropic Thunder last year (can't remember why but I'm guessing illness had something to do with it) and so when it arrived in the post via Lovefilm I was excited about watching it. Well, I'm glad I didn't waste my entrance fee as I think I would have demanded a refund.
Tropic Thunder rates amongst the worst films I've ever seen. If you're not familiar with the story it's about a band of actors (Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and a couple of other guys) who are filming a Vietnam movie in the jungle. Their acting is so appalling that the guy who wrote the book the film is based on suggests they're placed in the real jungle amongst the rebels who are still fighting and are forced to act for real. That's at least what I think it was about. The story was so muddled that I lost track half way through. The rest of the film concentrates on their attempts to find a way out (I think).
Everyone raves about Tom Cruise as the balding, overweight Les Grossman, the producer of the film, but to me the only shining star was Robert Downey Jr as Kirk Lazarus. Lazarus is an amalgum of Russell Crowe and Daniel Day Lewis; those actors who take their roles so seriously they immerse themselves in the character and even remain in it off set until the movie is finished. Lazarus is playing a black guy and has even had his face pigmented to make it more authentic. I know blacking up isn't PC but Downey Jr is so bloody convincing that all the way through I had to keep reminding myself that he was a white guy playing a black guy. Without him, I think I would have given up half way through.
Another odd performance comes from Matthew McConaughey who was brought in at the last minute to replace Owen Wilson after his suicide attempt. And all McConaughey does is ape Wilson as though he's channelling him through his body. Not sure why he couldn't just play it as himself. I have to say it's a shame Wilson couldn't do it because he cracks me up and I think he would have also brought a bit of light to this somehow dire film.
It is literally like everyone has thrown ideas into a hat, pulled some out at random and just filmed a bunch of scenes and lumped them together. The ending is rushed and without giving it away, I'm not quite sure why Stiller's character wins an Oscar.
Tropic Thunder just smacks of back slapping amongst a bunch of Hollywood luvvies who thought it would be good to parody the industry and all it ends up being is one great big in-joke that doesn't work.
But I still love you Ben.
On another note. I have started the early drafts on my new novel Liverpool. It's a bit of a departure for me, set in the early part of the twentieth century and at the moment it tells the tale of a young middle class woman who comes to live in Liverpool with her parents and while her mother is trying to get her to marry a wealthy man, she becomes involved in helping the people living in the slums and en route becomes friends with a young girl who goes on to become a movie star. That's the shell of it at the moment, but knowing me I will add bits in or change my mind completely. One thing I do know is that this one is going to an agent before I even consider Self Publishing. I'm so tired of doing my own promotion and concede that I need a bit of help.
Finally check out my interview with Kelly Moran at http://authorkellymoran.blogspot.com for a chance to win a copy of Two Become One.
Have a great weekend y'all
Tropic Thunder rates amongst the worst films I've ever seen. If you're not familiar with the story it's about a band of actors (Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and a couple of other guys) who are filming a Vietnam movie in the jungle. Their acting is so appalling that the guy who wrote the book the film is based on suggests they're placed in the real jungle amongst the rebels who are still fighting and are forced to act for real. That's at least what I think it was about. The story was so muddled that I lost track half way through. The rest of the film concentrates on their attempts to find a way out (I think).
Everyone raves about Tom Cruise as the balding, overweight Les Grossman, the producer of the film, but to me the only shining star was Robert Downey Jr as Kirk Lazarus. Lazarus is an amalgum of Russell Crowe and Daniel Day Lewis; those actors who take their roles so seriously they immerse themselves in the character and even remain in it off set until the movie is finished. Lazarus is playing a black guy and has even had his face pigmented to make it more authentic. I know blacking up isn't PC but Downey Jr is so bloody convincing that all the way through I had to keep reminding myself that he was a white guy playing a black guy. Without him, I think I would have given up half way through.
Another odd performance comes from Matthew McConaughey who was brought in at the last minute to replace Owen Wilson after his suicide attempt. And all McConaughey does is ape Wilson as though he's channelling him through his body. Not sure why he couldn't just play it as himself. I have to say it's a shame Wilson couldn't do it because he cracks me up and I think he would have also brought a bit of light to this somehow dire film.
It is literally like everyone has thrown ideas into a hat, pulled some out at random and just filmed a bunch of scenes and lumped them together. The ending is rushed and without giving it away, I'm not quite sure why Stiller's character wins an Oscar.
Tropic Thunder just smacks of back slapping amongst a bunch of Hollywood luvvies who thought it would be good to parody the industry and all it ends up being is one great big in-joke that doesn't work.
But I still love you Ben.
On another note. I have started the early drafts on my new novel Liverpool. It's a bit of a departure for me, set in the early part of the twentieth century and at the moment it tells the tale of a young middle class woman who comes to live in Liverpool with her parents and while her mother is trying to get her to marry a wealthy man, she becomes involved in helping the people living in the slums and en route becomes friends with a young girl who goes on to become a movie star. That's the shell of it at the moment, but knowing me I will add bits in or change my mind completely. One thing I do know is that this one is going to an agent before I even consider Self Publishing. I'm so tired of doing my own promotion and concede that I need a bit of help.
Finally check out my interview with Kelly Moran at http://authorkellymoran.blogspot.com for a chance to win a copy of Two Become One.
Have a great weekend y'all
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
I am Sally Michaels
Hi Libby Fox (anyone who watches EastEnders will know who I mean) here, bringing you this blog.
After smarting and feeling like the Drew Barrymore character in Music and Lyrics whose entire life has been stolen to create a hideous character in a work of fiction, (I swear there is someone working on Eastenders who knew me when I was about 16 and modelled Libby on me. She looks like me, she acts like me, she's a swot and now to top it all, she wants to write fiction - I'm not happy) I got down to starting my screenplay of Summerset. I had no responses from my Gumtree ad and decided to do it myself, and will send it to the Writers Room at the BBC.
It's a difficult task because you have to start using dialogue and body language to describe a character's feelings or actions whereas in a book you can write long paragraphs explaining everything. So far I've only written 7 scenes and it's coming along okay. I think the Writers Room don't want perfection they just want to see potential. I dream of the day when Summerset is on the TV. I could just see it as a two part mini series on BBC on a Sunday night. I wish they'd return to showing those big, glossy Hollywood mini series again. They were so much fun.
I found The Thorn Birds on you tube yesterday and I was so chuffed because I last watched it in 1983. I last read the book in 1995 - the year I wrote Summerset and it's quite alarming to see the parallels to the book - the big Irish family living away from Ireland, the poor relation being given a chance to work for the rich relative, of course the forbidden love, the favoured illegitamate child, even the scene where Meggie goes to the party as a 17 year old and she wears a beautiful rose pink dress. In Summerset when Lou goes to the Christmas Party, wearing grown up clothes for the first time ever, she is wearing a rose pink dress. Just goes to show how you can be influenced by something without really realising it.* My only criticism was that it was made back in the day when America dominated everything and the entire cast (apart from Bryan Brown -swoon) are American and do nothing to hide their accent, except for a few who attempt some sort of hideous fiddileedee Irish accent. If it was made now, they would use Australian actors.
I've also started the research into my new book 'Liverpool'. I have a draft storyline and I'm gathering information about Livepool in the early 20th Century. I'm itching to start writing it but with the Summerset screenplay my main priority, I'm dedicating one evening a week to 'Liverpool' time. I'm also awaiting the first draft of Two Become One to arrive from Lulu so I can start checking that and I just know I'm going to find hundreds of errors wrong with it.
It's all go go go.
Ciao for now
*There's influenced and there's blatant copying and I'm sorry that girl in Eastenders is just a photocopy of me - I wouldn't mind if I got some sort of credit!
After smarting and feeling like the Drew Barrymore character in Music and Lyrics whose entire life has been stolen to create a hideous character in a work of fiction, (I swear there is someone working on Eastenders who knew me when I was about 16 and modelled Libby on me. She looks like me, she acts like me, she's a swot and now to top it all, she wants to write fiction - I'm not happy) I got down to starting my screenplay of Summerset. I had no responses from my Gumtree ad and decided to do it myself, and will send it to the Writers Room at the BBC.
It's a difficult task because you have to start using dialogue and body language to describe a character's feelings or actions whereas in a book you can write long paragraphs explaining everything. So far I've only written 7 scenes and it's coming along okay. I think the Writers Room don't want perfection they just want to see potential. I dream of the day when Summerset is on the TV. I could just see it as a two part mini series on BBC on a Sunday night. I wish they'd return to showing those big, glossy Hollywood mini series again. They were so much fun.
I found The Thorn Birds on you tube yesterday and I was so chuffed because I last watched it in 1983. I last read the book in 1995 - the year I wrote Summerset and it's quite alarming to see the parallels to the book - the big Irish family living away from Ireland, the poor relation being given a chance to work for the rich relative, of course the forbidden love, the favoured illegitamate child, even the scene where Meggie goes to the party as a 17 year old and she wears a beautiful rose pink dress. In Summerset when Lou goes to the Christmas Party, wearing grown up clothes for the first time ever, she is wearing a rose pink dress. Just goes to show how you can be influenced by something without really realising it.* My only criticism was that it was made back in the day when America dominated everything and the entire cast (apart from Bryan Brown -swoon) are American and do nothing to hide their accent, except for a few who attempt some sort of hideous fiddileedee Irish accent. If it was made now, they would use Australian actors.
I've also started the research into my new book 'Liverpool'. I have a draft storyline and I'm gathering information about Livepool in the early 20th Century. I'm itching to start writing it but with the Summerset screenplay my main priority, I'm dedicating one evening a week to 'Liverpool' time. I'm also awaiting the first draft of Two Become One to arrive from Lulu so I can start checking that and I just know I'm going to find hundreds of errors wrong with it.
It's all go go go.
Ciao for now
*There's influenced and there's blatant copying and I'm sorry that girl in Eastenders is just a photocopy of me - I wouldn't mind if I got some sort of credit!
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one without any fear
Well here we are, it's almost Christmas and the end of another year.
2008 has been probably the most stressful year of my life. I've become a one woman publishing house; had terrible work worries and took (and failed) my driving test, have bought a car and am now looking forward to failing my test again in January next year.
This time last year I honestly didn't think people would be getting my novels as Christmas presents, but at the sale last week a couple of people bought my books as gifts for other people. It's a nice feeling to imagine someone unwrapping their present to find Summerset or Mad About the Boy in it. I've had a couple of negative comments about the books but that's to be expected. Just look on Amazon at the most popular books and you'll always find negative things written about them. If you're going to put yourself out there as any sort of artist you've got to expect criticism. Look at the whole x-factor thing, many people think Alexandra Burke's version of Hallelujah is the greatest thing since sliced bread but many others (me included) think Jeff Buckley's is the definitive version and therefore he's got to number 2. You can't please all the people all of the time as the old saying goes.
I'm already looking forward to 2009 and the release of Two Become One after Christmas. I'm also taking on my most ambitious project yet, a novel called Liverpool. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a complete plastic Scouser and in my opinion not enough books are written about the city. So far it's going to be an epic love story starting just before the first world war, which means I'm going to have to do a lot of research including a trip up to Liverpool to look in the libraries and museums. The book won't be out until 2010 as I've TBO and Winner Takes All coming out in 2009.
I can't say I'm sorry to see the back of this year and I'm wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful 2009.
If I can drag myself away from mountains of food and Christmas TV. I will be writing my end of year blog next week.
Merry Christmas
2008 has been probably the most stressful year of my life. I've become a one woman publishing house; had terrible work worries and took (and failed) my driving test, have bought a car and am now looking forward to failing my test again in January next year.
This time last year I honestly didn't think people would be getting my novels as Christmas presents, but at the sale last week a couple of people bought my books as gifts for other people. It's a nice feeling to imagine someone unwrapping their present to find Summerset or Mad About the Boy in it. I've had a couple of negative comments about the books but that's to be expected. Just look on Amazon at the most popular books and you'll always find negative things written about them. If you're going to put yourself out there as any sort of artist you've got to expect criticism. Look at the whole x-factor thing, many people think Alexandra Burke's version of Hallelujah is the greatest thing since sliced bread but many others (me included) think Jeff Buckley's is the definitive version and therefore he's got to number 2. You can't please all the people all of the time as the old saying goes.
I'm already looking forward to 2009 and the release of Two Become One after Christmas. I'm also taking on my most ambitious project yet, a novel called Liverpool. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a complete plastic Scouser and in my opinion not enough books are written about the city. So far it's going to be an epic love story starting just before the first world war, which means I'm going to have to do a lot of research including a trip up to Liverpool to look in the libraries and museums. The book won't be out until 2010 as I've TBO and Winner Takes All coming out in 2009.
I can't say I'm sorry to see the back of this year and I'm wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful 2009.
If I can drag myself away from mountains of food and Christmas TV. I will be writing my end of year blog next week.
Merry Christmas
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