Thursday 24 September 2015

My Writing Life... Sharon Booth

Today I am delighted to welcome Sharon Booth to share the details of her writing life with us!



Hello Heidi, and thank you very much for having me on your blog.

Writing time. It's always a tricky issue, isn't it? I'm lucky because, apart from Mondays when I work a ten hour shift, I work for only five hours a day, from 1pm to 6pm. Even so, it's not always easy to factor in time for writing. I do try to be up early each morning and head into my little office to start work, but I confess that I'm easily distracted. The internet is my main problem, as the first thing I do after switching on my computer is to check my emails. From there, it's all too easy to click on Facebook and see what's happening with everyone. Before I know it, an hour or two can have passed and I've done nothing productive, whatsoever!

If I'm really absorbed in the part of the story I've reached, though, I will buckle down and get on with it. By the time I've been typing away for four hours or so, it's time to get ready for work, and then I'm glued to another desk and staring into another computer screen for five hours. Sometimes, it feels as if my entire life is spent typing and reading words. I don't write after work as, quite honestly, I just don't have the energy.

I tend to watch television or read most evenings. I don't write at all on Mondays. Ten hours in the office is enough. I do write at weekends, though, but I've learned to set limits. I have five children and seven grandchildren, as well as a very patient husband. I do try to limit writing at weekends to mornings only, so that if any of the family are coming round I can spend time with them without feeling twitchy. If I've planned to work all afternoon and I'm interrupted, I start feeling guilty and thinking I should be doing something. That's not fair on any of us, so I've started to give myself Saturday and Sunday afternoons off. And if there's anything special going on I give myself the entire day off. I'm only human, after all, and there's more to life than writing. Yes, honestly!

I write contemporary romance with lots of humour (hopefully!) and I tend to mostly write full-length novels. I always assumed that, if I ever did write a novel, it would be an historical romance. I grew up reading my mum's Catherine Cookson books, and loved them. In the event, though, I realised that I wanted to write about ordinary men and women living in the modern world with all the fun and drama and chaos that comes with contemporary life and relationships. Who knows, one day I may try a different genre.

Right now, I'm working on a standalone novel, and then I'll be writing book three in the Kearton Bay series—four books set in the fictional village of Kearton Bay, which is based on Robin Hood's Bay. The first two—There Must Be An Angel and A Kiss from a Rose—have already been published through Fabrian Books. Fabrian started out as a small, independent publisher, but with five authors now on board, it has become an author co-operative, and we are working as indie writers under the Fabrian umbrella.

I also have my first People's Friend pocket novel coming out in October, which is very exciting. I was delighted to have my story accepted by them, and I can't wait to see my book actually on the shelves of WH Smith and various other shops—even if it is for only two weeks.

My Writing Aspirations...

I hope to re-join the Romantic Novelists' Association, this time as a full member, as a result of this. I owe the RNA a huge debt. Through them, I met the Write Romantics and became one myself. I also had my first two novels critiqued by professional authors as part of the RNA's New Writers' Scheme. The advice, encouragement, and help I got, in both cases, was invaluable.

In the next couple of years, I want to finish the Kearton Bay series, find a home for my standalone novel, and perhaps write another pocket novel. Then I have plans for a few more books, and a Christmas collection. It's finding the time that's the problem. It always comes back to that, doesn't it!

Long term, I want to keep writing, learning more each day and hopefully getting better with each novel. My dream would be to earn enough from the writing to give up my day job. It's not easy to do that, these days, but you never know!



There Must Be an Angel the first novel in the Kearton Bay series, is available now from Amazon, in Kindle and paperback format: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TH5BHUG.



A Kiss from a Rose:
In spite of managing to get a black eye at her best friend’s wedding, Rose MacLean knows she’s never had it so good.
As a partner in a thriving business, her financial problems are easing, and her eldest daughter has finally found employment, while her youngest is doing well at school.
But Rose’s life never seems to run smoothly for long, and, sure enough, her eldest daughter has soon walked out of her job, while her youngest appears to have had a personality transplant. To make matters worse, her mother is back on the scene, and she seems to be reliving her misspent youth with her oily-haired, horse-faced ex, Alec Thoroughgood.
With her best friend preoccupied with the arduous task of baby-making, Rose finds herself relying more and more on the quiet Flynn Pennington-Rhys, who seems to be everyone’s hero.
But Flynn has his own problems, and as events take an unexpected turn, Rose realises that she may not always be able to rely on him.
Will the quiet man come through for her? Will her daughters ever sort themselves out? And will Rose ever get her bedroom back from her mother, or is she destined for a life on the sofa?

A Kiss from a Rose will be published on 26th September. You can pre-order it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015GB0CGO

My Author Bio...

Sharon wrote her first book when she was ten. It was about a boarding school that specialised in ballet and, given that she'd never been to boarding school and hadn't a clue about ballet, it's probably a good thing that no copy of this masterpiece survives.
She lives in East Yorkshire, with her husband and their dog, and regularly yells for tea and biscuits while writing, to remind them that she exists.
She is one tenth of The Write Romantics, has a love/hate relationship with chocolate, is a devoted Whovian, and just a little obsessed with Sherlock, The Musketeers and Poldark. She freely admits that she would write more books if the BBC didn't insist on employing such gorgeous men.

You can find Sharon on Twitter: @Sharon_Booth1
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharonbooth.writer
Or follow her blog: http://sharonbooth.co.uk

9 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Heidi-Jo! What a very gorgeous looking blog it is, too. So pretty. Look forward to reading about your next guest's writing life. xx

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    1. My pleasure Sharon and thank you for admiring the prettiness! Life can be ugly sometimes so I find coating it in vintage rose patterns brings a little cheer! H x

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    2. It works. It's so pretty I could just stare at it in awe. :) x

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  2. Hi Sharon and Heidi. Lovely to read all about your writing, Sharon. It sounds as if you have a very full and busy life - thanks for giving us a glimpse. It's especially interesting to read about your ambitions. Good luck with them!

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    1. Thank you for reading and commenting Susanna! I'm delighted you are enjoying the new #FridayFeature. H x

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    2. Thank you, Susanna. It probably sounds a lot more interesting and productive than it really is. I have to get a grip on the distractions, that's for sure. I have a LOT of stories queueing up to be told, and they won't wait forever. x

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  3. Sharon, I take my hat off to you - a huge family, a part time job, and you still find time to write. And you've already discovered the key - don't log onto Facebook first!!! I'm the same with Twitter. When I'm in the middle of a novel I have to say, right, half an hour, then OFF!

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    1. Thank you for reading and commenting Terry. I'm slowly learning that self discipline, routine and meticulous organisation is the key to upping the word count! H x

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    2. That's very disciplined of you, Terry! I may have discovered the key, but I haven't yet figured out how to use it. :) Maybe I should set an alarm? Or wear one of those collars that squirts you with water if you do something wrong...Or did I dream that up? Hmm...Thank you for commenting.

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