Ripper, my love by Glynis Smy: Red Carpet Day

Glynis Smy was one of the first to make me feel at home up here in cyberspace.  A generous writer and friend, and I am very pleased to entertain her on this, her debut novel  launch.

RED CARPET DAY

I welcome poet/author

Glynis Smy

Today writer/poet, Glynis Smy adds author/novelist to her name. Her debut novel; Ripper, My Love, is launched in ebook format and paperback. The genre for this love story falls into the one of Historical Romance Suspense.

 

 

Growing up in late nineteenth century East London, Kitty Harper’s life is filled with danger and death – from her mother, her beloved neighbour and the working women of the streets.

With her ever-watchful father and living surrogate family though, Kitty feels protected from harm. In fact, she feels so safe that while Whitechapel cowers under the cloud of a fearsome murderer, she strikes out on her own, moving into new premises to accommodate her sewing business.

But danger is closer than she thinks. In truth, it has burrowed itself right into her heart in the form of a handsome yet troubled bachelor, threatening everything she holds dear. Will Kitty fall prey to lust – and death – herself, or can she find the strength inside to fight for her business, sanity and her future? And who is the man terrifying the streets of East London?

***

Review by author/poet/songwriter, Jessica Bell.

I began reading this book unaware that it had anything to do with Jack the Ripper and by the time I got to the chapter where he is mentioned I got quite a surprise! (Don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler ). I don’t know much about Jack the Ripper so I had to look him up.

However, those who are familiar with Jack trivia, please don’t be put off–it’s not your average “boring retelling”, because it doesn’t stay true to the “facts”–it’ wasn’t written for that purpose. You see, it’s not really about Jack the Ripper at all. It’s a fictional account about the other people in his life. I won’t go into whom because it might spoil some things. But intriguing concept, yes?

The beginning might be a bit slow for some, (not for me, though, as I don’t read books just to get them finished), because it does a fine job of building character. But by around a third of the way through it really began to pick up pace. I read the last half of the book in half the time I read the first half. The world was believable. Some moments left me holding my breath. Some moments left me teary (especially toward the end), and for a person who doesn’t often read this genre, it was a smooth and enjoyable hit of “history”.

I highly recommend this. It’s history without being history. Gotta love that, yeah?

 ***

 

Who is Glynis Smy?

Glynis was born and raised in England, in the coastal town of Dovercourt, near the port of Harwich (where the captain of the Mayflower lived). After qualifying as a nurse, she married her school friend, and they produced three children.

During her rare quiet moments, she wrote poetry and articles for magazines. In 2005 she and her husband emigrated to Cyprus for a new life in the sun. It was here that Glynis lay down her cross stitch and started making writing friends on the Internet. With their support and encouragement she shared her poetry, and was successful in a few contests. She shared a short story with a friend, who wrote back telling her it was worthy of becoming a novel, and not to waste the premise upon a brief plot.

The story is the one being launched today. Glynis found her love of writing 19th Century, historical romances and her second novel, Maggie’s Child, will be published at the end of 2012.

Aside from writing and Cross stitch, Glynis enjoys creating greetings cards, and sells them to raise funds for a small hospice in Cyprus. One of her pleasures is to sit on the back porch with a glass of wine, and reflect upon her good life. She can often be heard chatting to new characters urging her forward.

Her desire to pay back those who had supported her is realised in a blog designed specifically to promote the books of others:

New Book Blogger    
http://newbookblogger.blogspot.com/

You can find her personal writing blog at  www.glynissmy.com

Glynis finds the community spirit of writers on Facebook a valuable one.

Want to purchase a copy?  Launch day price for the Kindle is 99c/77p!

Amazon Kindle 

Amazon.com Paperback  

Amazon.co.UK Paperback & Kindle UK

The Book Depository UK (free delivery worldwide)

The Book Depository. Com

Barnes & Noble

 

Racing,dancing, leaping over streams!

Well no sooner than the A-Z challenge finished then I was throwing myself into another challenge, tempted by other ROW’ers I might add.  Foolhardy, I kept berating myself – walk away – have a rest junomo is coming up in four weeks, take it easy, HAH! When do I ever? A short story a day.  Every day! There isn’t even, as in A-Z, a day off – the pressure is on – every day write a short story. Yeah. Well. Stupid. Idiotic.

 Actually I am, after the first week, of the opinion it was a good, nay great, move. I am finding it all things good.  Shaking off my research/ non fiction mode after a month of A-Z, not yet ready for the novel, junomo; I had intended to polish up the first four or five stories I had ready, for a first Vol of Purple Turtles and send them off to, friend from forever/editor and maybe work on a couple more.

Well I have, already, six fresh new sparkling stories and three more weeks to go:) and the extra bonus is, that because I am now firmly back into short story mode, I have spent the time polishing the others, and have now sent eight off to friend from forever/editor.  Second Vol. is started.

 I seem to work well with challenges, I spent most of my life never giving promises – I never do! Also, never committing to any resolve in public, because? Because I hate being seen as a failure.  If no-one knew I was going to try something, I could quit.

 Knowing this, when I decided to give up smoking, 25 years ago (really, that long?) I was a two and half pack a day girl, it was a serious ‘get a grip’ time, so I told everyone, in loud tones, then I knew I would do it.  I did.

 So with these writing challenges, starting with ROW80 last year, once I have signed up – I have to follow through, it’s a personal pride thing, I think.

 So thank you, all you tempters, my stock of short stories grows.  There will be editing and polishing still to do later but the stories are sound.  My imagination released from the non fiction bondage is racing, dancing and leaping over streams in excitement.  The only downside is the mental exhaustion at night while I try and herd new ideas back into sleep for a few hours:)

 Had a lovely time on my birthday and came back with 10 random book buys – what bliss.  And it was the first and only day it didn’t rain for four weeks, I have always found grey a colour that saps my mental sunshine and I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep depression at bay, if the real sunshine doesn’t arrive soon I shall hide under the duvet.  I kid you not.

Tomorrow, 7th May, I shall have a Red Carpet Guest Glynis Smy who was one of the first to befriend me up on cyberspace, she’s a lovely lady with an exciting new book launching. Please come and applaud her.

 So this last week:

 1)      6 new stories written eight polished and sent to friend from forever/editor

2)      Ellen’s Tale trailer, I think, is finished –wouldn’t mind some comment (haven’t worked out how to put it up here yet so it maybe Wednesday – but it is done:)

3)      An hour a day editing Blue Moons

4)      Put up an Insecure Writers blog.

5)      Been playing catch up on the network sites, nearly there.

6)      Begun plotting structure and incidents for NaNo – tis very complicated and may be asking for suggestions next week.

7)      Walking half an hour each day still, but on painkillers.  Have spent time researching my various health ills and am working out new food regime to see if I can help myself back to some semblance of health, All these pills are doing my head in:(

8)      Have read the required number of Terry Pratchett books, so one reading challenge is finished. Yay!

 For the coming week I suppose more of the same as regards short stories, editing, and planning. Catch up on network sites (well A-Z may take longer).

 There is a little more time in my day now- my sister’s second round of training is going so much better than the first.  Her confidence is almost back to pre training levels – so nice to see the sunny smiles back again.

 Hope everyone had a good week, and all the best for the next.

Writing short stories is hard

What am I feeling insecure about this month?  What we all fear. That others will not like our arrangement of words, as we do.

 Although I am feeling a trifle jet lagged after the A-Z challenge, it is not that which has prompted this, I had had some very nice comments.  No, it was in fact some good news which prompted this blog.

 When I began to write seriously, four years or so ago, I joined a local writing class, became hooked.  I was told in the class, and in everything I read about the subject, that short story writing was HARD.  I shied away.  Not for this old lady, if it was hard.  I was having trouble enough at the beginning to string coherent sentences (I have a big problem with a few basics such as spelling, grammar,  punctuation and …well you get the picture:)  Short stories were just things we played around with in class, you know the one, have a prompt write for 10 minutes,  then read it out if you dare.  I enjoyed it, I have to say –always been gabby, me.

 I was trying to get the hang of short stories during a summer break when Ellen’s Tale emerged; it was meant to be a short story, not the first in a series:(  they had warned me short story writing is HARD!

 I carried on with the prompts.  Wrote a short fairy tale of her life, for a friend of mine, on the occasion of her birthday.  Wrote more of the prompts, enlarged on a few at home.  Allowed imagination free reign.  Wrote some very strange ‘mental ones’ as my friend from forever/editor called them. She did not like my series, but for some reason did like the short stories – showed them to her friends.  Said write some more, publish them.

 My friend from forever/editor is the reason I am in print. She has slaved hard to knock this Dyspraxic writer into shape over the years,  it seemed right togive in.  Keep your editors sweet seems to be a good rule:) My friends, of course all bought them in the print version, but I have to confess I did not push them, because I was scared frankly that I would be laughed off the circuit.  They were not proper short stories.  Short stories are HARD and I had found them easy. So my friend from forever/editor was obviously wrong.  I split them up into smaller Vols. for the e-book version, but still didn’t really push them.

 I still enjoyed writing them mind, they were my therapy when I was bogged down with the novels, and because I had no faith in them, I could allow myself to experiment.  They didn’t always have a plot:( they didn’t always have hero/heroine:(. Sometimes they didn’t really have a conclusion:(     I was having fun messing around with words basically.

 My friends liked them, but we all know, don’t we, that friends and family are suspect, because they may not be telling how it is.  I tried a couple of flash fictions in a couple of groups I had joined and received some nice comments.  I began to look at my strange stories and look around at others.  I found others were writing strange stories, experimenting with form and playing around with words.  Maybe.  Just maybe friend from forever/editor wasn’t just being a friend.

 Then the week that the A-Z challenge came slithering to a halt I received an unexpected review for the first Vol of Patchwork of Perspectives.  I had barely met her – Prudence MacLeod a fellow ROW8′er but new to me.  She liked the little stories.  What? Someone liked them enough to review the book, without a request from me.  To say I was flabbergasted is to be rather British about it:)  I went to bed that night wondering if they all had it wrong about it being HARD, maybe I could write short stories.

 Maybe I should have more faith in myself, more faith in my friends.

 I have often read Indie books that I have liked but I am slow/bad at putting up reviews.  Maybe the authors suffer from the same insecurities as myself.  I am going to try harder to read Indies and put in a good word, if I enjoy them. Maybe I can send someone to bed happy. Build up another’s  confidence.  Give them a little more faith in themselves.