The Apple Tree and Bound to the Prince

 

[Please see previous blog entry]

The Apple Tree by Lynette Sofras is a contemporary romance of approximately 58,000 words

Escaping from your past is never easy, as young hospital doctor Juliet discovers when she tries to start afresh, leaving both her marriage and her career behind.  Love blossoms rapidly when she meets the mysterious and forthright gardener, Nicholas, who seems to herald the new beginning she craves.  The past quickly dissolves into insignificance as their all-consuming romance propels them forward but Juliet has to learn the price of happiness in the cruellest way possible.  Will she be able face the painful roots of her past in order for her future to grow strong and healthy?

Bound to the Prince by Deborah Court is a fantasy/erotic romance of approximately 100,000 words

Once a proud warrior, elven prince Elathan is living in exile, fallen from grace and separated from his own people. When he beholds a compelling mortal woman on a London bridge one night, he hunts her down and abducts her to be his slave of pleasure. Bound by magic and desire, Igraine Chandler finds herself in a world beyond her wildest dreams, fighting at her prince's side to reclaim his throne.

Feeding the Mechanical Cannibal

Friends always seem interested in the types of writing I get asked to do as a freelance writer and always ask me what I’ve been working on.  The short answer to their question is ‘anything and everything’ because there is not a single topic about which you can’t find some information on the internet – and all that information has to written by someone like me.

Every article needs to be informative and as accurate as possible (although I’m only too well aware that is not always the case with everything you read on the World Wide Web).  Needless to say, my knowledge is not encyclopaedic (if it only were, I would be applying as an understudy for the legendary Stephen Fry!) and of course worthwhile articles require painstaking research to give them any commercial value at all.  That, of course, means that I spend most of my day browsing the internet, sifting through the billions of words in search of reliable, verifiable facts.

I have two visions of the internet: one as something vaguely incestuous with interrelated links like a massively extended Eastenders family; and the other like a gigantic mechanical cannibal as it constantly feeds off its own kind, regurgitating the same information to be re-devoured and regurgitated in a slightly different way in order to evade accusations of plagiarism.  There are numerous devices available to check for copyright infringements, but after a few years of writing articles it become easy to trace these back to their source through their sometimes tortuous literary umbilical cords.  I have seen my own material re-created in this way and no longer feel indignant about what at school was once called ‘cheating’ but which has now become standard internet practice.  After all, it’s only words, and the spirit of the internet is to make knowledge accessible, which can only be a good thing.

Still, it does make general article-writing pall after a while.  Thinking up new things to say on a subject becomes more and more difficult as the internet expands at such a fast and mind-boggling rate.  Do we need one more article parroting the same information on this over-burdened super highway?  This is one of the reasons I have moved slightly sideways into editing and am finding this much more satisfying.

Most interesting of all is editing creative work.  With the growing popularity of ebooks, more and more writers are taking advantage of this platform to self-publish.  They say everyone has a book in them and just a quick glance at Amazon’s Kindle store seems to corroborate this urban myth.  However the internet also encourages brutal honesty and readers will write reviews telling you exactly what they think and one thing readers definitely dislike is reading a book with glaring errors of grammar, punctuation, syntax etc.  And this is where I come in.

I feel truly privileged to work with really creative people and help them to realise their ideas by tidying up a well-crafted story so that it flows properly and does not hinder its readers’ enjoyment of the narrative.  With my own aspirations to be a published writer, I can honestly say that this is a dream job – only one step away from enjoying success in my own right (or should I say write?)

Creativity and ambition are infectious too, it seems.  One particular writer for whom I edited an ebook quickly became a very good friend who began to encourage me in my own writing endeavours in a positive and helpful way.  The result was that within a week, thanks entirely to her, I published my first ebook on Kindle and that was a truly thrilling event for me!  It was something I had simply not considered for myself before.  The short blog to follow this will contain brief descriptions and links to both Deb’s debut novel (Bound to the Prince) and my own (The Apple Tree) and I would be equally thrilled if you chose to read either of them, as one shows my editing skills and one my writing.

Making Money Online

When I decided to start a blog, it was meant to have very regular input. What got in the way of my writing? Well, more writing, actually!

When I gave up teaching it was with the sole intention of pursuing my interest in writing; finishing off that novel that has been bursting for release for years and maybe starting a few more writing projects. Then one day, quite by accident, I came across a link which led me to a link, which...oh well, I won’t bore you with a tedious tour of the internet. The shortened version is that I found I could use my interest in writing to actually make a regular income until my novel hits the best seller lists (dreams are just about the only commodity left that cost us nothing).

There are many freelance writing sites on the internet and I’m not even sure I chose the best one, but I registered and pretty soon found myself with my first writing project. This entailed writing a number of articles for ezines on various subjects, ranging from crystal jewellery to space heaters. After the initial project finished, the employer asked me to continue working for him, which I agreed to do.

As that was my first project, I had deliberately set my financial sights quite low, but as I gained in confidence (helped by his praise and the ego boost of seeing my articles published on the internet, albeit under someone else’s name), I aimed slightly higher the next time around.

Project number two was all about tattoos. Now, what I knew about tattoos could be written on the back of a postage stamp so I was very apprehensive when I discovered the nature of the second project from a Chinese client. However, I needn’t have worried and the project could not have been more ‘up my street’, as it entailed researching all the symbolism behind tattoo designs. I loved it! Once again, the client asked me to continue writing for him after the initial project ended.

Following that, projects came thick and fast. Thanks to the positive feedback left by the clients on the freelance writing site, I was able to select projects according to my interests and each time command slightly more in recompense. I’m not saying I will ever become rich from this type of work and, because I’m such a perfectionist, I’m unlikely to ever churn out the quantity of articles to make it really lucrative financially, but I get by and I thoroughly enjoy the work I do and can ring the changes whenever I like. I have built up a substantial client list who can provide me with all the work I wish to undertake, so my visits to the freelance site are now infrequent.

My innumerable projects have included health-related articles, fashion, finance, travel and tourism, academic and educational writing and ghost-writing entire books. More recently I have enjoyed focusing on editing and proofreading and I can honestly say that every project has generated more work for me and it has also introduced me to some great friends. And I intend to introduce you to some of those in my next blog.

Tie be, or not tie be - that is the question

Drive through any urban area between three and four pm when the schools are disgorging students faster than the speed of light, and you will notice the radically different ways kids from different schools wear (or sometimes don’t wear) their school ties. This got me wondering whether tie fashions reflect the way students feel about their ties or about their schools.

As a former teacher, I know how important the school uniform is to a school and in most secondary schools, the senior management team will try to ensure that children leave the school premises looking smart. After all they represent the school to the local community. But somewhere between the school gate and the nearest bus stop, that uniform – and the tie in particular – undergoes a radical makeover.

If students resent wearing ties so much, shouldn’t we be listening to them? What real function to ties serve anyway? The blazer colour and badge identify the school perfectly well, so as a means of advertising the school the tie is pretty well redundant. The majority of students leaving school will probably only wear a tie on very rare occasions. For boys, these will be their first interview, their wedding and perhaps if attending a funeral. But what about the girls? Unless they join the forces, they will probably never again wear a tie in their lives. So why inflict this unwanted accessory on them for eleven of their most formative years?

I began noticing ties more and more over the last few weeks – or perhaps I should say I began noticing their absence. On a trip to London during the rush hour, I noticed the majority of commuters were men and in my carriage only a small percentage were wearing ties. On the TV, whilst Tim Henman seemed to sport his tie with pride, another famous commentator, Boris Becker, looked far more relaxed without one; and on Question Time, last week, I noticed Hugh Grant was the only male panellist not to wear a tie – but that certainly had no adverse effect his eloquence, wit and credibility. The audience was solidly behind him (and I only noticed one tie amongst them). Conversely, Stephen Fry was the only tie-wearing member of the all-male team on QI and while his tie may have looked like an esplanade of multi-coloured pebbles snaking a beach of fuchsia-tinted sand, it definitely did not dim his dazzling repartee.

Nevertheless, it seems being on TV (even the BBC) is no longer up there with weddings and funerals as meriting formal attire. Is this a silent rebellion against the noose-like symbol of subservience to one’s company? Are ties gradually disappearing in the same way as cuff links which might be seen as jewels in the manacles of servitude?

Politicians, when they do wear them, seem to pick them as an afterthought to bring out the colour their rosettes when they are out and about, slumming it with Joe or Jo public; whilst in hospitals they are no longer considered de rigueur by the medical profession.

So why do men wear ties? And what’s more, why do women seem to get so much pleasure out of choosing and buying them for their men? Are ties really smart attire, or are they simply outdated throwbacks to some sort of institutionalised servitude, which women, in some sinister fashion, endorse?

Travel Writing - Siena, Italy

I am frequently asked to write articles on travel, which I enjoy because it allows me to relive memories of some of the wonderful places I have visited in the past. I love Italy in general and Siena in particular and below is a sample of a brief article written about this magical place.

Siena travel guide

Little more than an hour’s drive from Florence lies the captivating little oasis that is Siena. Seated in the true heart of Tuscany, this beautiful mediaeval city, now a UNESCO World heritage Site, beckons visitors within its protective walls in order to weave a spell of enchantment with its charms. Its narrow streets are made for walking, not driving (in fact cars are not allowed within the centre) and for losing oneself in time as well as place.

Siena dwells heavily in the past and it is a past steeped in tradition, as a wander through the warren of narrow lanes and cobbled alleys will reveal. The numerous museums and galleries recount Siena’s past Gothic glories and, for those with a taste for the macabre, grisly instruments of torture can be viewed at the Museo della Tortura, while the mummified head of St Catherine (which was separated from the rest of her remains and smuggled out of Rome) resides in the Basilica di San Domenico.

Twice yearly the Palio, or bareback horse race takes place, in which 10 riders display their equestrian prowess around Il Campo. There are also several places in which you can learn to make (and then eat) traditional Tuscan cuisine or you can snack on local peasant fare of stuffed and deep fried olives, prepared by cheery street vendors. Alternatively, you may choose to sit out in the cool shade of open air cafes surrounding the Campo, Siena’s shell-shaped central piazza, as you watch Siena life buzz by.

A visit to the Gothic cathedral, Il Duomo, Siena’s artistic and architectural masterpiece, with its inlaid marble floors, all frescoes and painted windows and crammed with fascinating history is a must-do; while an ascent up the spiral steps of Torre del Mangia, a mediaeval bell tower, is equally advisable. This affords a 360° view across the tightly-packed ochre rooftops of the city and out across the vineyards and rolling fields of olive and lemon groves, stretching out as far as the eye can see into this dreamy landscape which is true Tuscany.

Welcome to my brand new blog

Writing my own blog is something I’ve wanted to do for many years, but that mundane thing called Life always seemed to get in the way. That and the fact that I’m an incurable technodope!

After giving up teaching (was Head of English at a Surrey comprehensive for many years) in order to focus on my writing, I thought that would be the ideal time, but soon found myself as busy as ever I was teaching. While completing my novel ‘Unworkers’, I found myself moving more and more into freelance writing and editing and now Life has had to take a back seat!

My novel ‘Unworkers’ is now complete and I have also recently ghost-written a reworking of a famous children’s epic saga as well as contributing articles to sites like Infobarrel.com and ManyUses.org. I have a regular client base for article writing in every possible genre and also undertake online and home tuition in English.

Spare time? Haven’t seen that for many years! If I can snatch any, I love relaxing with a good film or book or theatre-going with friends. I’m an adventurous cook, which is just as well as my son is a very adventurous eater. I am also trying (with a remarkable lack of success) to grow my own vegetables and herbs in the paltry and poor patch of land around my Victorian cottage.

Cats fascinate me and I’m striving to understand my son’s inscrutable and anthropophobic moggie (who dives under my duvet at the sound of the doorbell); but mog-psychology (psycatery?) takes second place to retail therapy whenever I need a quick fix.

I satisfied my wanderlust some years ago, though this bug is beginning to rear its demanding little head once again – exacerbated, no doubt, by all the travel writing I get asked to do these days.

Which brings me to the purpose of designing this blog. As a freelance writer, I am available for academic and article writing on a vast range of topics, proofreading and editing. I also offer tuition and help with all aspects of writing on www.24HourAnswers.com (just ask for LSofras) via email and/or Skype. Most of all, however, I would like to draw your attention to my novel ‘Unworkers’, and other writing projects and hopefully generate some interest in these.