Hi everyone!
In this Issue:
Last night on #SJsTwitterBookClub
The Writers’ Lodge
Latest News
#SJsTwitterBookClub
This week’s #SJsTwitterBookClub featured author Sarah Bonner (@sarahbonner101), who popped in to talk about her amazing debut psychological thriller “Her Perfect Twin”.
I asked Sarah if she’d give us a spoiler-free, tweet-length introduction to the book. She said, “In HER PERFECT TWIN, Megan confronts her identical twin over her affair with her husband. But their argument ends in Leah’s murder and Megan is forced to live both their lives to avoid suspicion. But then lockdown hits and her double life begins to crumble….”
Sounds intriguing, right? And it is — I’ve rarely read a book with as many twists and turns.
@TobyJamesAuthor asked Sarah what had sparked the idea for the novel, and whether anything in particular had inspired her. She said, “… it started as a short story about a woman debating a 2nd date with a guy who thought she was her twin. When I realised the pretence was to cover up a murder, and how difficult lockdown could make a double life, I decided Megan needed a whole novel for her story!”
We also talked about Sarah’s process when she writes, and whether she was a planner, or a pantser (i.e. someone who writes by the ‘seat of their pants’ with no idea of where the story might go). She said…
(Click on the above tweet to be taken to the discussion thread)
Another fascinating discussion about a fantastic book. If you haven’t read it yet, do so now!
The next #SJsTwitterBookClub will be on Thursday March 31 at 7pm (UK time). We'll be talking about Wendy Erskine’s amazing short story collection “Dance Move”, and Wendy herself will join us! Just follow us both on Twitter to join in, and keep an eye on the hashtag. As the book is fairly recent, we’ll avoid spoilers….
Happy reading!
The Writers’ Lodge
Are you a writer? Do you want to write?
The Writers’ Lodge is a nurturing and supportive newsletter for anyone who is writing, or who is considering embarking on a writing project and wondering whether they have what it takes, or may even just be considering their first tentative steps into writing fiction.
Each month we’ll consider different aspects of the process of writing and editing a long piece of fiction, with articles and exercises designed to help the writer establish whether they’re on track or in need of course correction. The newsletters will include:
How to determine if your idea is good enough
How to navigate that tricky first draft
Dealing with difficult feedback from first readers
How to go about finding the perfect agent
Interviews with top authors and publishing professionals
Share your work in interactive Q&As with the group
My hope is that together we will create a supportive environment, with opportunity for subscribers to share their doubts, fears and (if they wish) their work, for the group to discuss.
The goal is to make the process of writing just that little bit less daunting, and the process of publishing a little bit less opaque...
How to sign up
I’ll be sending The Writer’s Lodge updates to all those with a paid subscription to this newsletter. I’ve kept the price affordable, so for less than the cost of a weekly coffee you’ll receive the updates and full access to the archive, plus you’ll be able to leave comments and be part of the growing community.
For a limited time I’m also offering the opportunity to become a ‘Founding Member’ of the community. Sign up at this level and I will read and give feedback on up to 5000 words of your work (either written or via Zoom, spaces limited).
I do hope you’ll join us to help build The Writers’ Lodge into an interactive resource for all those who want to write fiction, or improve their work.
Happy writing!
Latest News
I was due to appear at Manchester Libraries Crime Festival next week, but due to unavoidable circumstances I can no longer attend. Apologies to anyone who has already bought tickets — I will do my best to get up to Manchester before too long.