I've posted today on the popular children's literature blog, 'An Awfully Big Blog Adventure'... on why Tove Jansson's Moomins will always be my favourite read...
Click here to view my post
Off to appear on Coventry Hospital Radio now! More about this soon...
Best wishes
Ros
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
The Crabbies - an evangelical Christian fellowship that went wrong...
... Or did it? Perhaps not. That's for you to decide, when you've read Charity's Child - Dark Deed or Virgin Birth?
If you belong to such a fellowship group or church, I would love to know what you think of the book. I have nothing against evangelical Christians and I still share some (though not all) of their beliefs. In the past, I've been involved in Christian groups that believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (known as the 'Special Blessing' in my book) and the associated spiritual gifts like prophecy and tongues.
I know that in any religious group, things can go wrong. Often it's a matter of personality clashes, domineering and bullying. Sometimes, the problems are very serious indeed.
I recently read an excellent novel about an evangelical fellowhip that went astray and became a cult - the aptly titled Going Astray, written by Christine Moore and published by Sunpenny Publishing. You can find it here.
In my book, Charity's Child, a young girl becomes pregnant and starts claiming that God has fathered her child. When the truth eventually emerges, a number of people end up blaming themselves. Are they right to shoulder such guilt? Was there anything anyone could have done and if so, what? And where does forgiveness, including self-forgiveness, figure in all this?
I've love to hear your thoughts, whatever your religious beliefs or lack of them.
You can download Charity's Child as an eBook for Amazon Kindle, price £1.94 here on Amazon.co.uk and price $3.11 here on Amazon.com.
If you belong to such a fellowship group or church, I would love to know what you think of the book. I have nothing against evangelical Christians and I still share some (though not all) of their beliefs. In the past, I've been involved in Christian groups that believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (known as the 'Special Blessing' in my book) and the associated spiritual gifts like prophecy and tongues.
I know that in any religious group, things can go wrong. Often it's a matter of personality clashes, domineering and bullying. Sometimes, the problems are very serious indeed.
I recently read an excellent novel about an evangelical fellowhip that went astray and became a cult - the aptly titled Going Astray, written by Christine Moore and published by Sunpenny Publishing. You can find it here.
In my book, Charity's Child, a young girl becomes pregnant and starts claiming that God has fathered her child. When the truth eventually emerges, a number of people end up blaming themselves. Are they right to shoulder such guilt? Was there anything anyone could have done and if so, what? And where does forgiveness, including self-forgiveness, figure in all this?
I've love to hear your thoughts, whatever your religious beliefs or lack of them.
You can download Charity's Child as an eBook for Amazon Kindle, price £1.94 here on Amazon.co.uk and price $3.11 here on Amazon.com.
 |
| Cover photo and design by Rob Tysall |
Recommended age 14 - adult
Friday, 6 April 2012
Scary stuff... I'm reviewing today on ABBA
I'm reviewing Susan Price's collection of ghost stories, Overheard in a Graveyard today on An Awfully Big Blog Review.
Please pop over and say hello.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Can you write gay fiction if you are straight?
Maybe the answer to that is no. Actually, I'm not quite sure what Gay Fiction is - perhaps someone could enlighten me. All I read is fiction - whoever it's about and whoever it's written by, I just like a good story.
So, to be clear from the start, I happen to be straight but I have lots of friends, relatives and colleagues who are gay, so I feel as comfortable about putting homosexual characters in my books as I would characters with red, blond or black hair (or no hair at all), characters with physical disabilities, male characters, characters who live in the future or the past or are a different age, nationality or social background from myself. Of course I do. My fiction would be very sad and limited if I only ever wrote about me!
And part of the fun of writing is becoming someone else - tasting the world from a different point of view.
So is there are a problem? Maybe not, but when Charity's Child first came out in paperback I did get a couple of remarks from people who tentatively and very politely suggested that perhaps I didn't know what I was talking about and shouldn't be trying to write from the point of view of a gay character.
That's the problem, I suppose, if there is one. Joanne, the narrator of Charity's Child, is a young lesbian, as is her friend Charity, though there is also some suggestion that Charity may be bisexual, as you'll discover if you read the book. So the question was, I suppose, 'How can you, a straight person, get inside the mind of a lesbian character sufficiently well to write convincingly with her voice?'
How successfully I achieved that aim can only be judged by my readers. It doesn't seem to me to be much different from my trying to write from the point of view of a man. Which is something that female authors do all the time, and vice versa - sometimes with great success and sometimes not.
As far as I can tell, there's a lack of fiction, especially YA fiction, with gay protagonists, so the more the better, perhaps... whoever writes it?
Anyway, please tell me what you think, whether or not you've read the book. If you've read it, I'll be especially interested to hear your views.
Best wishes
Ros
So, to be clear from the start, I happen to be straight but I have lots of friends, relatives and colleagues who are gay, so I feel as comfortable about putting homosexual characters in my books as I would characters with red, blond or black hair (or no hair at all), characters with physical disabilities, male characters, characters who live in the future or the past or are a different age, nationality or social background from myself. Of course I do. My fiction would be very sad and limited if I only ever wrote about me!
And part of the fun of writing is becoming someone else - tasting the world from a different point of view.
So is there are a problem? Maybe not, but when Charity's Child first came out in paperback I did get a couple of remarks from people who tentatively and very politely suggested that perhaps I didn't know what I was talking about and shouldn't be trying to write from the point of view of a gay character.
That's the problem, I suppose, if there is one. Joanne, the narrator of Charity's Child, is a young lesbian, as is her friend Charity, though there is also some suggestion that Charity may be bisexual, as you'll discover if you read the book. So the question was, I suppose, 'How can you, a straight person, get inside the mind of a lesbian character sufficiently well to write convincingly with her voice?'
How successfully I achieved that aim can only be judged by my readers. It doesn't seem to me to be much different from my trying to write from the point of view of a man. Which is something that female authors do all the time, and vice versa - sometimes with great success and sometimes not.
As far as I can tell, there's a lack of fiction, especially YA fiction, with gay protagonists, so the more the better, perhaps... whoever writes it?
Anyway, please tell me what you think, whether or not you've read the book. If you've read it, I'll be especially interested to hear your views.
Best wishes
Ros
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
All sorted - Charity's Child is well and truly born (but who is the father?)
Whew! All sorted. My novel Charity's Child - Dark Deed or Virgin Birth? is now born (again!) and is live, kicking and raring to be read.
Click here to see Charity's Child new Kindle version on Amazon
Speaking of being 'born again'... I didn't mean that to be an awful pun when I wrote it, but it does capture one of the themes of Charity's Child, which is set in a tiny evangelical Christian fellowship in the imaginary seaside town of Castlehaven on the Yorkshire coast. I wanted to explore what could happen in such a close-knit community of believers when an outsider arrives and unsettles everyone. Charity, aged fifteen, turns up at a prayer meeting one evening and for Joanne, a lonely young girl of the same age, it's love at first sight.
For Tom, the pastor, Charity brings trouble - an insistence on something called the 'Special Blessing', without which, she says, no one can be truly close to God. Charity's personal charisma and her enthusiasm for the 'spiritual gifts' associated with the special blessing soon become confused in the minds of many of the members of the Crabapple Christian Fellowship (or Crabbies, as they call themselves). Alan, the assistant pastor, develops a fixation on Charity which upsets Joanne, Alan's wife Louise and poor Tom, who is desperately trying to prevent his little flock from exploding into chaos.
Charity and Joanne are 'together', or so Joanne believes. Then Charity announces that she is pregnant. She refuses to name the father - in fact she assures Joanne she has not had sex with any man or boy. The father of her baby is, she claims, God Himself. God has given her His ultimate gift - His own child. Not a boy like Jesus but a girl, this time...
Joanne is sceptical, but she longs for assurance that Charity has not been unfaithful to her. The rest of the fellowship are not at all convinced. There is much speculation about who the father of Charity's child could be. Suspicion falls on Alan, and Tom wrestles with indecision and guilt - he has problems of his own.
Then Charity disappears...
As I said above, I wanted to explore what happens in a small, settled religious community when a charismatic and disruptive newcomer arrives. I made the community a Christian evangelical one, because long ago I was a member of several groups like this. I no longer share all the beliefs of evangelical Christians, but I have no axes to grind and my story should not be taken as criticism of religious faith of any kind. People are people... whatever they believe, whatever their background. If we are not careful, we distort our faith to suit our own predilections and concerns - and to soothe our fears. I believe that's part of what is going on in Charity's Child.
It was one of those books that you write without, for quite a long time, knowing how it is going to end. The revelation of who was the father came as a shock to me - one that still has me reeling.
I hope that the new e-edition will draw in some new readers. I would love to know what you think of Charity's story, either in a comment on my blog here, by email or in reviews on Amazon and similar sites. If you are a religious person (or indeed a convinced atheist), I'd be especially interested to know what you think.
Click here to see Charity's Child new Kindle version on Amazon
Speaking of being 'born again'... I didn't mean that to be an awful pun when I wrote it, but it does capture one of the themes of Charity's Child, which is set in a tiny evangelical Christian fellowship in the imaginary seaside town of Castlehaven on the Yorkshire coast. I wanted to explore what could happen in such a close-knit community of believers when an outsider arrives and unsettles everyone. Charity, aged fifteen, turns up at a prayer meeting one evening and for Joanne, a lonely young girl of the same age, it's love at first sight.
For Tom, the pastor, Charity brings trouble - an insistence on something called the 'Special Blessing', without which, she says, no one can be truly close to God. Charity's personal charisma and her enthusiasm for the 'spiritual gifts' associated with the special blessing soon become confused in the minds of many of the members of the Crabapple Christian Fellowship (or Crabbies, as they call themselves). Alan, the assistant pastor, develops a fixation on Charity which upsets Joanne, Alan's wife Louise and poor Tom, who is desperately trying to prevent his little flock from exploding into chaos.
Charity and Joanne are 'together', or so Joanne believes. Then Charity announces that she is pregnant. She refuses to name the father - in fact she assures Joanne she has not had sex with any man or boy. The father of her baby is, she claims, God Himself. God has given her His ultimate gift - His own child. Not a boy like Jesus but a girl, this time...
Joanne is sceptical, but she longs for assurance that Charity has not been unfaithful to her. The rest of the fellowship are not at all convinced. There is much speculation about who the father of Charity's child could be. Suspicion falls on Alan, and Tom wrestles with indecision and guilt - he has problems of his own.
Then Charity disappears...
As I said above, I wanted to explore what happens in a small, settled religious community when a charismatic and disruptive newcomer arrives. I made the community a Christian evangelical one, because long ago I was a member of several groups like this. I no longer share all the beliefs of evangelical Christians, but I have no axes to grind and my story should not be taken as criticism of religious faith of any kind. People are people... whatever they believe, whatever their background. If we are not careful, we distort our faith to suit our own predilections and concerns - and to soothe our fears. I believe that's part of what is going on in Charity's Child.
It was one of those books that you write without, for quite a long time, knowing how it is going to end. The revelation of who was the father came as a shock to me - one that still has me reeling.
I hope that the new e-edition will draw in some new readers. I would love to know what you think of Charity's story, either in a comment on my blog here, by email or in reviews on Amazon and similar sites. If you are a religious person (or indeed a convinced atheist), I'd be especially interested to know what you think.
Click here to see Charity's Child for Amazon Kindle (price £1.94)
Recommended age 14+
Monday, 2 April 2012
I cannot believe I have been so careless!
Oh dear - this is from a rather red-faced Rosalie.
Today was meant to be the day I posted here about my novel Charity's Child going live on Amazon Kindle - which it has! And until half an hour ago I was very excited and bursting to tell everyone. But then a very kind friend and colleague emailed me to point out that part of a review I have quoted in the Product Description could be taken the wrong way and cause offence. I must say I had not read it that way, and I don't expect the reviewer meant it that way either, but now I look at it again, I do see the problem.
I have edited out the offending phrase and resubmitted to Amazon KDP, but I guess the changes will take a couple of days to show up. So if anyone downloads my book in the meantime, please bear this in mind.
As soon as the new edition goes up, I will post the link, etc. And then I'll finally be able to celebrate properly!
Best wishes
Red-faced Ros
Here's the cover of my book anyway, to be going on with!
OK, well Amazon have been very prompt in updating my Product Description, which is now fine, so here are the links:
Click to view on Amazon.co.uk
Click to view on Amazon.com
Today was meant to be the day I posted here about my novel Charity's Child going live on Amazon Kindle - which it has! And until half an hour ago I was very excited and bursting to tell everyone. But then a very kind friend and colleague emailed me to point out that part of a review I have quoted in the Product Description could be taken the wrong way and cause offence. I must say I had not read it that way, and I don't expect the reviewer meant it that way either, but now I look at it again, I do see the problem.
I have edited out the offending phrase and resubmitted to Amazon KDP, but I guess the changes will take a couple of days to show up. So if anyone downloads my book in the meantime, please bear this in mind.
As soon as the new edition goes up, I will post the link, etc. And then I'll finally be able to celebrate properly!
Best wishes
Red-faced Ros
Here's the cover of my book anyway, to be going on with!
OK, well Amazon have been very prompt in updating my Product Description, which is now fine, so here are the links:
Click to view on Amazon.co.uk
Click to view on Amazon.com
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Rip-roaring Fun and Adventure in the Air: The Bother in Burmeon
I've just finished reading a new children's book, aimed at 9-12s, by debut author S. P. Moss. And what a book! Young Billy, staying with his gran, finds a kaleidoscope in a box of toys in what used to be his mother's bedroom. Rather an interesting kaleidoscope, as it turns out, since when Billy turns it he is whisked back to 1962, where he meets a dashing young RAF pilot who turns out to be Billy's granddad (who in the present day has been dead for the past twelve years).
In spite of the shock, it doesn' t take Billy long to find his feet (and his wings, as it were) in 1962, and soon he's on the way with Grandpop to the depths of South East Asia, where he pilots a flying boat, rescues a captive tiger, comes face to face with an Indian cobra and pits his wits against a mad dictator...
It's all very real - certainly not a dream - and very convincing to read. S. P. Moss knows her stuff about the RAF (I know - I'm an RAF crewman's daughter) and she has the language of 1962 and the sights and smells of that long-lost age off pat (again, I know... my memory just about goes back that far!)
But in spite of the retro feel there is nothing old-fashioned about this tale - certainly nothing slow and ponderous. Billy's adventures unfold at (at least) Mach 3 - and whatever your age, you'll be chewing your knuckles with the excitement of it all long before the thrilling (and rather moving) end.
Climb aboard, hold tight, prepare for take-off... whoosh! away we go....
With Billy and Grandpop for company, flying out over enemy territory to battle with beasts, baddies and bombs, you'll have tons of fun with no need for screens, apps and computer games.
(And I should add that this adventure is great for girls as well as boys - yet another of those books I wish had been around when I was young!)
The Bother in Burmeon has its own wonderful website, too.
Well done to S. P. Moss and here's wishing her lots of success. Let's hope she has some sequels in the pipeline...
Title: The Bother in Burmeon
Author: S. P. Moss
Age-range: 9-12 approx
Publication date: 2012
Publisher: Circaidy Gregory Press
Price: £7.49 (paperback version); £4.11 (Amazon Kindle version). EPub edition coming soon - see publisher's website for details
The Bother in Burmeon is available direct from the publisher, Circaidy Gregory Press
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