The Green Man at Buddleigh

Ebook published

2011-11-17T20:48:00.004+01:00

At long last, the 'Green Man at Buddleigh' is published as an ebook and available on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Man-Buddleigh-ebook/dp/B00606306O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321558961&sr=1-1

Update III

2011-08-08T19:41:00.001+02:00

It's so frustrating. I want to get cracking with my new works, the Squad and Apsaras III but I'm detained by the need to edit and rework old material such as the Green Man. I've worked on this book for two years now and I'm still finding ways to improve it. At what point do I say, 'that's it' and commit it to publication on Kindle?

How nice it must be to submit a work to a publisher and let somone else edit it for you.

The proof book, printed by the nice Createspace people as a reward for entering their competition, was a godsend because working on the computer is not the same as reading from a real book. It looks good as well, too good for me to right corrections in.

latest update

2011-06-17T15:48:00.000+02:00

I have just completed another review of the novel and made over a hundred and forty corrections or amendments. The task is made so much easier by uploading the document to my kindle and making notes as I read

Author fraud

2011-05-16T21:39:00.003+02:00

Tonights 'One Show' on the BBC, highlighted a practice by publishers to fraudulently use the name of an established name to sell books written by others.

The example used were new books whose front covers bore the name of long dead Enid Blyton. In fact the real authors were unknown and as such, unlikely to promote significant sales. As the reporter mentions, publishers are in the business of selling books and making a profit. They are not a charity. They are becoming less interested in publishing books by people other than the famous and those with celebrity status. Ghost writers often pen the works, purported to be by people in the public eye, so that opportunities for new, emerging writers are reduced. To attract the attention of the publishers, new authors have to almost shock the agencies or publishers in the same way that new films have to push back the boundaries, shock or provoke the public.
This can only result in the publishing industry becoming hostage to its own declining values. Authors will publish their own work as ebooks, as I am, so as to make Literary agencies and traditional publishers superfluous. Deciding what work is and what isn't commercial is necessarily a subjective decision-one that publishers and agencies have consistently got wrong.

There are no problems, however, with Jeffrey Archer. No sooner has his new book, the first of a series of five, been published than the famous author is paraded on all the day time television programmes. I don't begrudge Jeffrey his success; he writes jolly good stories, but I wish that other, less famous writers had the opportunity to promote their works.

Publishing disappointment

2011-01-17T11:16:00.000+01:00

The recent submission to a publisher ended in disappointment when they asked for over £2200 contribution to publishing costs, despite saying that both the 'Lamb' and the 'Green Man' were of merit and likely to be enjoyed by the public. Although I've brushed aside the disappointment I can sense that my confidence is slightly dented and I need a little while before I begin again. I need to take a few weeks away from creative writing to regenerate what I know is inside, since despite the feeling that it's really too much effort to achieve recognition, I'm too old anyway and other negative thoughts, I do believe that my stories are worth telling, the characters are interesting and the plots satisfying.

In the meantime I have sent a submission to two new agencies. At 6€ a time for postage, not to mention paper and printer ink, just sending 3 chapters becomes a costly business.

Editing

2010-09-29T09:19:00.000+02:00

Following the good news that a publisher has asked to see the full manuscript of both the 'Green man' and the 'Lamb', the ink on the printer ran out. I ordered new cartridges but decided to try and commission the laser printer that had been lying in the garage in need of new and expensive toner cartridges.

Living in Spain has many advantages but living in the south east corner away from the commercial rest of Spain can be frustrating. I am still waiting, two weeks later, for the Epson printer cartridges but have received the new toners for the HP laser printer from England. As I hoped, when it was finally set up, the laser turned out to be ideal for printing out whole novels. Not cheap mind; two toner cartridges cost £100+ and the machine needs 4.

I printed out the novels and sent them to England, immediately. The postage for the two was 37€. I have decided to keep all my printing and postage invoices in case I should ever receive remuneration and can claim some expenses against any future tax bill.

Call it what you will; sods law or whatever but the day after I sent off the manuscripts, a professional editor who'd reviewed the work gave me some jolly good advice that I decided I would like to implement. What to do? Inform the publishers? Leave it, knowing that if they asked for improvements I knew how to approach it? Email the publishers saying that I was to send along amended copies? In the end I've done nothing but started a new folder with all the updated work. I must say I like it but I may not be finished. Something the editor said made me think and I'm going to take a couple of days to see how I can act on their comment; an innocuous remark but perhaps more telling than she might have realised.

A breakthrough? Who knows?

2010-09-09T21:27:00.001+02:00

I have had a positive response to my latest promotion. Hoorah!!

I have two novels to promote as part of my Saigh Valley Series and I have submitted extracts of both to publishers and agents, along with my pitch. I'm delighted to say that my submission has persuaded one recipient to ask to see the two manuscripts in full. It's what I wanted, because I've always felt confident that there was an entertaining story in there; for an independent someone to read them in full and make a judgement. The real test of whether or not they are to commercial standard. Let's face it, if my stories can make them money, they'll be interested; if not, then I'll know the truth, if their judgement can be trusted.
Last week, I tried to read what would be called a 'Chick Lit' novel and had to give up after the first chapter. I can't comment on its quality only that I couldn't read it. Apparently, most novel readers these days are women and therefore most new works pander to this market which makes it yet more difficult for men to find something to entertain them. I hoped to step into the breach with stories that would appeal to both sexes. Stories with a good plots, interesting characters and a satisfying ending. No science fiction, no mysogynistic psychopaths and definitely no bloody elves or fairies. Just a jolly good story, tinged with humour, coloured with a tragedy and told with feeling untrammeled with excessive verbiage.

So I must make a hard copy of each of the stories, which with both together amounting to 800 printed A4 sheets will cost, both in paper and printer ink, a prety penny. The postage from Spain will be in the order of 30 to 50 Euros depending on the mood of the postmaster. It's not cheap to make a full submission but I have a feeling that it's going to be worth while. The feeling that the daily writing, the struggling to bring the plots into line, turning mere words into something that gives pleasure is the best feeling that an author can have.

Promo 1 Update

2010-08-11T13:45:00.001+02:00

Well I've received two refusals by email and an acknowledgement of receipt from a publisher I contacted directly. One of the refusals was so quick it left no time for proper scrutiny. I shall not submit to them again.

It's always hard to receive refusals, particularly as these letters intimated that they were not sufficiently excited by the proposal.

It's impossible to know if my proposal was flawed, the synopsis, was poorly conceived for instance, or whether the standard of writing in the submitted chapters 'didn't light their fires'.

I constantly receive emails from people who want to give me advice on submissions in exchange for a fee. It seems the way the industry is going. Once upon a time there were publishers. Then along came Agencies who filtered the submitted work sent to the publishers. Now we have the firms that review and amend all work submitted to the agencies, all the time adding to the list of people taking a cut of any royalties.
The rewards can be good and many people are writing in the hope of attracting a publisher but its hard to get a foot in the door when celebrities seem to be the first priority. I heard yesterday that Carol Vorderman, her of 'Countdown' fame, is publishing a book tomorrow. It's surely easy for a publisher to promote her book because she's an established name, compared with an unknown. I can't blame Carol, who I've briefly met on the 'Countdown' set, but it sure makes it difficult for unknowns, some of whom are undoubtedly talented, to break into the industry.

Why branding?

2010-07-13T11:08:00.000+02:00

With the rewriting of my two 'Saigh Valley' novels completed, I must now consider how to 'sell' them to the agencies.
Normally, I imagine that an author submits a single folio, or part of it, for review, but I'm minded on this occasion to submit a concept based on my two novels with the promise of more to come.
In other words, I want to try and persuade an agency that my books will sell better as a series rather than as a stand alone story. This idea is founded in what I consider to be the way the public decides what to read and what to buy. Recent history has shown the popularity of series with the JK Rowling series of books about Harry Potter. Other characters that have attracted a following are Biggles, Billy Bunter, from my younger days, to Tolkien and the Angelique books of Anne and Serge Golon.
It is not only Characters who draw reader loyalty; authors too have a following. These days readers avidly pick up the latest James Patterson story, knowing that it is unlikely to have been penned by the famous author. This idea is mirrored in the art world where the value of a painting can rise if it can be ascribed to a particular and notable 'school' of artists.
This association of the buying public with a product or its manufacturer is the essence of 'branding' and it is this that I hope to create.

How strong is my brand name?

'Tales from the Saigh Valley', I believe, conjures up an image of bucolic peacefulness. The word 'Saigh' with its similarity to the word 'shag' would provoke interest because of it being synonymous with sex.
(The word 'Saigh' is derived from Celtic and Greek roots and means 'arrow' eg. Sagittarius, the archer). It should be on the front cover of each book.

How strong is the Brand theme: English pubs and inns?

The main strength is my knowledge of the workings and life of the trade. The characters I have met and to some extent shared my life with. It can be a rich source of stories, allowing much opportunity for human interaction and the full gamut of emotional interplay.

Are my two current stories strong enough?

They are two contrasting stories, but both having intricate plots with surprises at the end. The first story, The 'Lamb', has at the centre, two different types of pub and two different lead characters who's personality matches their respective businesses. Henry, solid and dependable has the 'George' whilst Jackie secretly buys the 'Lamb' and turns it into a high class brothel.The story follows their very different paths to find happiness. A lady friend of mine has read the story and it reminded her a little of a Jackie Collins novel.
The second, the 'Green Man' is a ghost story that forms the backdrop to a story about banking greed. Since the story is based on a real life experience, I believe many readers will empathise with the story. A reader has described this story as 'quirky'.
Both stories have the benefit of a 'feel good' endings, which I find encourages most readers to read other books by the same author.

What next?

The 'Red Lion at Nippley'. A story about the Fäht-Winkler family. Murder and witchcraft lie at the heart of this story. It should be finished in 2011.

Back to Mojácar

2010-06-04T11:21:00.001+02:00

I've just returned from a visit to England during which I was able to speak with my friend in Oxford about my works.
The good news is he feels we are making progress and he's asked to see a hard copy of the 'Lamb at Nettlesham'. I had hoped to provide this whilst in England but a quick read through the early chapters told me that it was nowhere near good enough. I believe that I've learned an awful lot about writing novels in the last few years and some of my earlier works need updating along the lines suggested to me. So here I am, back in Mojacar, finishing off the 'Green Man' and rewriting to some extent the first Saigh Valley tale.
The lesson here is that one shouldn't be satisfied with one's work until you've had time to reflect on what you've written, possibly some time later. While I was away, the William Morris agency sent my submission back with a very nice letter of regret and I wished I hadn't been so hasty in sending it off. Part of the problem was the synopsis. It should have been longer and included all the information the agency needed to form a proper opinion. As it stood, the 'Green Man' read like a historical novel which it clearly isn't and the synopsis should have made this clear. I think part of the problem is that I was confusing the synopsis with the 'blurb'; keeping it short without giving too much away.

THE GREEN MAN AT BUDDLEIGH
A tale from the Saigh Valley

New SYNOPSIS

The ‘Green Man’ is a story of mystery, greed and hope, set in the late eighties and early nineties.
The story, however, begins in fifteen eighty-four, when the inn was called the ‘King’s Head’. Troops, loyal to Queen Elizabeth, under the command of cruel and cowardly Lord Boddington are looking for a Catholic sympathiser, Alexander Fleming, who is thought to have taken refuge in his brother’s inn. Alexander is bricked up in a chimney to avoid capture and is never freed because his entire family is massacred.
Four hundred years later, Liz, an advertising manager in an upmarket magazine and her pharmaceutical chemist husband, Jack Lord, dissatisfied with their lifestyle and wanting to start a family, decide to buy the renamed ‘Green Man’ inn in the lovely village of Buddleigh, set in the beautiful Saigh Valley.
Under their management, the business booms and twin boys are born into a happy and prosperous home. The Lord’s enterprise has not gone unnoticed by the bank who are keen to fund the expansion they think necessary to accommodate the growing trade. In fact the bank managers almost insist that the Lords borrow more, inviting them on a trip aboard the yacht, ‘Foxtrot Oscar’, in an attempt to cement the deal. Finally, despite Liz’s reservation, they agree to the loan and the new rooms are built.
Initially, it looks as if the enterprise has paid off but boom was soon followed by bust. As the recession and high interest rates of the early nineties took its toll, the bank, following its own greed motivated agenda, repossessed the property, leaving the penniless Lords to move into Council housing. As Liz Lord finds a job in teaching, her husband turns to writing novels.
The ‘Green Man’ had been in the hands of the same family for many generations over several centuries and unknown to the Lords, harboured dark secrets from the past. Fate seems to be playing a strange hand when the new owners of the inn, a national chain of steakhouses, are confronted with inexplicable occurrences that make the business inoperable. When the inn is strangely burned down, the mummified remains of a body are discovered in the ruins and that of Liz, lying, unconscious, in the car park. What is she doing there and who really is the old friend of her parents who visits her and insists on calling her Elizabeth?
In the aftermath of the fire, an opportunity arises for the Lords to wreak their revenge on the greedy bank and its unscrupulous managers. At the same time, a four hundred year injustice is put right and Liz is surprised to discover who she really is.

Kevill Davies December 2009

Suffering

2010-05-16T20:24:00.000+02:00

It's the hay fever season. Even here in the south of Spain, the unusually wet spring has meant an abundance of green in the hills and valleys around Mojácar and I'm suffering more than I should.
The 'Young musician of the year' program is playing and the youngsters are playing fabulously. How can a musician play so well if they are sneezing, their eyes are red and feeling as if they are full of grit? How can they serve their art if they are drowning in a sea of phlegm that trying to find its way to your lungs? The ones on show may be lucky and don't suffer; but what of the ones that do?
I believe I suffer more than most. I almost died as a youngster and for most of my life I've needed to have a cortisone injection each Spring in order to live a normal life. Hay fever strikes at exam time and children who suffer have to contend with more than a tricky paper. It is a curse!
Ignoring the hypothesis that sufferers of hay fever may have an overactive immune system that keeps not only pollen but cancers at bay, the curse can severely affect the standard of life of countless people and is on the increase.
Personally, I'm feeling unwell. Lack of energy and urgency are symptoms of a wider malaise. I have just conducted a n extensive review of the 'Green Man'. It has been draining, often requiring the rewriting of whole passages. Now I can't settle to any work. Need I do more, I ask myself when I can't believe I a can do better. Like a painter need I say to myself, enough is enough. Put the brush down and walk away; its finished. If its not good enough, so be it.
I want to move on to doing the same review to the 'Lamb' but I'm hesitant thinking that I haven't finished the 'Green Man', my best hope of ever being published. If I can make that work, everything after should be easier. If only I didn't feel so shitty.

New Synopsis

2010-04-29T14:34:00.001+02:00

THE GREEN MAN AT BUDDLEIGH

A tale from the Saigh Valley

SYNOPSIS

A story of mystery, greed and hope, set in the late eighties and early nineties.

Liz, an advertising manager in an upmarket magazine and her pharmaceutical chemist husband, Jack Lord, dissatisfied with their lifestyle, decide to buy the ‘Green Man’ inn in the lovely village of Buddleigh, set in the beautiful Saigh Valley.

Under their management, the business booms and their bankers are keen to fund the expansion deemed necessary to accommodate the growing trade. In fact the bank managers almost insist that the Lords borrow more, inviting them on a trip aboard the yacht, ‘Foxtrot Oscar’, in an attempt to cement the deal.

Initially, it looks as if the enterprise has paid off but boom was soon followed by bust. As the recession and high interest rates of the early nineties took its toll, the bank repossessed the property, leaving the penniless Lords to move into Council housing. As Liz Lord finds a job in teaching, her husband turns to writing and starts to write a novel.

The ‘Green Man’ had been in the hands of the same family for countless generations over several centuries and unknown to the Lords, harboured dark secrets from the past. Fate seems to be playing a strange hand when after some mysterious happenings, the inn is burned down exposing the mummified remains of a body. In the aftermath, an opportunity arises for the Lords to wreak their revenge on the greedy bank and its unscrupulous managers and right a four hundred year injustice.

At times, comic, at other times tragic, the tale of the ‘Green Man’ is a story of mystery and intrigue that draws the reader to ponder on the mysteries of life.

Kevill Davies

December 2009

Update

2010-04-27T13:29:00.001+02:00

Following the critical review of my work, I have started a page by page overhaul of the 'Green Man'. It will be followed by a similar overhaul of the the 'Lamb'. All work on other projects including Apsaras III will stop until this work is done. It is imperative that if my work is ever to be published it must be better than at present. It is not good enough to simply put 115,000 words together and expect it to work. It won't; there is too much good work in the market place.

Critique

2010-04-23T10:41:00.000+02:00

I have now received the hard hitting critique of the 'Green Man' from my good friend. It has not been easy reading. Although saying that some parts had been enjoyable, and that in some respects I 'was getting there', the work still resembled a literary 'apprentice piece'.
Now, I take the view that where there's a chance of improvement there is hope and this is what I must cling to. It's not easy to accept that six or seven month's work is poor, but at least, with a computer, I can easily erase the rubbish and replace it with better, unlike a painter, say, who doesn't find it so easy to make alterations.
I have started to make what I think are improvements and I must say I'm astonished to find so many errors in the first chapter; some of them being obvious and basic. Remember this is what an agent sees first. I'm too quick to submit material that's not ready. I now believe that that after writing a novel or short story I should wait six months, making amendments as necessary and constantly re-reading it.
One of the problems identified related to my style; my use of English. Having no literary training this might be a stumbling block because I find it hard enough to write as it is and changing my style may be difficult. Having said this, I've read many novels, some by popular writers, that have have been written, in my opinion, no better than mine. All criticism must be subjective, I know that, but it would be a mistake to assume that it has, therefore, no validity. It is always good to have another opinion on your work but equally it should be remembered that if it isn't favourable, it is not the end of the world.

The Christopher Little Agency

2010-03-26T08:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I received a polite rejection email from the Christopher Little Agency. They were a busy Agency and my work wasn't for them. The message was clear; they were doing alright and they didn't need my work.
As usual, upon seeing the email one's thoughts are initially negative; rejection always is painful, but this morning I'm back in buoyant mood. Why? Because I know the story is a bloody good one and they've made their judgement after only seening a small fraction. One day someone will take the trouble to read the story from start to finish and say: 'That was a jolly good read.'
At the moment, someone is doing just that; reading the work from start to finish, that is. Judgement comes later. A graduate and former English teacher is reviewing the 'Green Man' for me. My friend has always harboured ambitions to write but mostly poetry, rather than novels. Not only will he tell me if the work is commercial but hopefully give me some ideas about editing, style etcetera.

Therefore, before submitting the 'Green Man' to other Agencies, I shall wait for his report and recommendations. I believe that when submitting work, it is always helpful to provide the reviewers with some clue that the work has been previously professionally assessed and approved.

Amazon Breakthrough Author Competition

2010-02-26T12:24:00.000+01:00

I failed the first hurdle in the Amazon Breakthrough Author competition with the 'Green Man'. I am disappointed but mostly with myself as I now discover, having reread my pitch that it contained at least two glaring spelling mistakes and a grammatical error. Any reviewer, looking for easy reasons to eliminate an entry, would have failed me before they even reached the synopsis.

The first lesson is to take more care when presenting work. If there is an overabundance of writing talent, and there is, then publishers can afford to be choosy and they will not consider shoddy work. Quite right too.

The second lesson, is the pitch itself. Looking at some of the successful entries, the pitch looked more like a synopsis. Maybe I need to acquaint myself better with what is actually required. The competition asked for both a 'pitch' and a 'synopsis'. What is the difference? I thought the 'pitch' would be about the concept, whilst the synopsis describes the story.

What next? Well we carry on. Nobody read the story, so I was not judged on the story, only the presentation. It is three or four months since I last worked on the manuscript. Maybe it's time to have another look and then perhaps list it on authonomy.

Find an Agent 2

2010-01-24T16:45:00.000+01:00

No good news to report from agencies. Robin Wade sent me a nice email, but again was not sufficiently impressed to offer to help.
I have not heard from the others which in the case of MBA means they, too, are not interested.
It's true that reviewers in agencies do not read the entire story so that they never get to see the wonderful plots hatched or the cunning end you've scripted into your story. All they see is the first few chapters when you are outlining the story and introducing a few of the characters. Clearly I've failed miserably to build enough iterest in the start to excite their appetite for more. I'm aware that a lot of editors are women, possibly more interested in material for the larger sector of readers- females. I'm also aware that 'Chic Lit' is a big seller of books. Clearly, being a man, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here, so what must I do.
If you look at my Apsaras II blog site you will see that it isn't sufficient to be 'on the ball' with regards to world events. My book of 2008, describes Iranian ghost ships, Somalian piracy and more recently the disaster in Haiti. If I have any more predictions come true I'll be hotter than Nostradamus, but still without a traditional publisher.
Nevertheless, I believe that this year we will succeed. I am entering 'The Green Man' in the CreateSpace competition, held in conjunction with Amazon. Although the ultimate judges will be Penguin US I still hope that they will find sufficient merit in my submission to take notice.

Tom Sharpe

2010-01-12T13:54:00.000+01:00

I had a brain wave. Since the humour in my Saigh Valley stories owes something to the stories of Tom Sharpe, I thought why not contact the agents for that illustrious writer. A quick search on the internet brought up the name Robin Wade, now of the Wade Doherty Literary agency. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they accepted internet submissions and posted my brief CV, synopsis for the Green Man and the first 4 chapters. This was over what they recommended but the fourth chapter contains the humour I hoped to impress with.
The website also gives some words of advice for first time authors. I read through each of the recommendations and was pleased to find that 'The Green Man' qualified in all respects. We will wait and see.

MBA reply

2010-01-07T14:55:00.000+01:00

I received an email from Meg Davis at MBA to say that she would review my work. If I don't hear from her in two weeks I should assume that she has no interest. Fair enough. No one wants to write a refusal and I certainly don't want to hear any excuses for not finding my work riveting.

Find an Agent

2010-01-06T14:37:00.000+01:00

Now that Christmas is over it's time to really start and find an agent that will promote 'The Geen Man' and thereafter my other works. I really believe that this story is commercial and worth my doing all I can to find help with the publishing. As a last resort I still hope to attend the London Book Fair at the end of April but for now it's the slog of sending chapters, covering letters and synopsis to as many agents as I need to.
Since the rejection by Curtis Brown and pfd, I have changed the names of both books to the names and addresses of the pubs in an attempt to forge a brand. So 'Henry Bagshot' became 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' and 'The Yeoman' became 'The Green Man at Buddleigh', since the 'Yeoman' had nothing to do with the story.
Now, marketed as a series of stories from the 'Saigh Valley', we have a brand for books that tell a good story, populated with real characters who speak with strong dialogue and which highlights some of the issues of the day. The stories combine tragedy and comedy in equal measure, the latter being inspired by the works of Tom Sharpe, whose books always made me laugh out loud.
I looked up Literary Agents on google to confirm the list I already had and happily added MBA to that list. They have been the first English agency I have found that handle email submissions. What Joy! Since I live and write in Spain it costs me 7€ to post a submission, internet correspondence is a blessing.
I printed off three copies of my submission, not cheap with the cost of printer ink so high and chose the three agencies I would contact. To my surprise I found that William Morris would also accept internet submissions. This joy was shortlived however since they emailed me back to say this was now cancelled. They became the first postal submission. I also sent a postal submission to the Christopher Little Agency and kept one in reserve.
United Authors would also accept internet submissions so they too have the benefit of an early sight of my work.
Before going further I will wait to see if the above respond positively.

Pfd: Literary agency.

2009-12-10T15:23:00.000+01:00

I have heard from Pfd, the literary agents, about my novel, 'The Yeoman' which has now been re-marketed as 'The Green Man at Buddleigh'. In fact I had two replies, a week apart, which is heartening as obviously the first reader passed it on for a second opinion.

One is always disappointed with rejections but I'm more convinced than ever that I'm on the right track with my change in marketing. I'm also going to push that I'm trying to introduce a Tom Sharpe like humour to the stories. Having read the story again, I believe that it has potential and now I shall start again in my quest to find an agent.

Name Change

2009-12-10T15:11:00.000+01:00

The Green Man at Buddleigh was originally called 'The Yeoman', for no better reason than it was the first name that came into my head.
While I was away in Thailand, thinking about promoting my work, I realised I had a chance to build a brand. This was the second of my 'Tales from the Saigh Valley' series and the third will be completed by Autumn of 2010. The name, 'The Yeoman' had nothing to do with my story, but 'The Gren Man' did, especially after I designed the cover, and bearing in mind the esoteric nature of the story. Naming the book after the name of the inn seemed the natural move and furthermore if I renamed the first book after the pub, it would make even more sense. Hence 'Henry Bagshot' became 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' and the third story will be called 'The Red Lion at Nippley'.

Authorship 6

2009-10-19T13:21:00.000+02:00

I finished 'The Green Man at Buddleigh' last week. The story is finished. I'm at the same stage as a painter who's fiddled with his finished picture and has to put down his brush for fear of overdoing it. The story has finished at just under 112 thousand words which for me is about right. I don't like to have too short a book, because a buyer wants value for money, but on the other hand I don't want it to be so long that by the end the reader is bored. (For guidance, I think that 'Atonement' was 100k words long). I've now sent some chapters to 'pdf' or Peters, Fraser and Dunlop, the agency. Hopefully, they'll look at it more seriously than I suspect Curtis Brown did. I like my story. Most authors would, of course, say that, but with a successful blending of several different strands within the story, I think I've succeeded in making an entertaining book for a wide range of readers.

I have also sent a CD of my work and a synopsis to Joseph Wallace, a literary agent who was good enough to read all of my second Jack Benson novel, 'Apsaras II- The 6th Ring'. Although it was over a year ago since I last saw him in London, I have yet to receive a response, and since he doesn't return my emails I am not too hopeful.

Authorship 5

2009-10-09T19:05:00.000+02:00

The Green Man at Buddleigh

I started writing 'The Green Man at Buddleigh' novel in March 2009. The joy of being an author is that it is something I could do in our seaside home in Mojacar. Although much of the plot was established it still took me until the end of July to finish writing the first draft. Several readings later I printed off the entire novel and passed it to Sue for her review.It is now 108,000 words long.

I sent a copy of the first four chapter of 'The Green Man' to the agents, Messrs Curtis Brown. I was fairly happy with these chapters and although Sue was still some way from finishing her review I thought it worth while to test the water.

Well; I can report that my fourth novel, 'The Green Man at Buddleigh' didn't find favour with the literary agents, Messrs. Curtis Brown. In a surprisingly quick response I was told that they couldn't be 100 per cent assured that my book would be published and that therefore it held no interest for them. One hundred percent! They might as well say that unless you are a celebrity or are otherwise well known, they won't handle you. It is almost impossible to be one hundred percent sure of success in almost anything. I was expecting the response to be in the order of seven weeks but they have replied within two, suggesting that in all probability they haven't looked at my submission with proper diligence. I can't help but think of those publishers who turned down JK Rowling or the man at Decca who said that the days of boy bands such as the 'Beatles' were over.

Sue has completed her review of the novel and now it's my turn again. I shall read the story through again, chapter by chapter, making sure its as good as I can do; that the story is coherent and amusing. When I say 'amusing' I don't necessarily mean funny, but able to hold the readers interest.

To be continued Authorship 6

Authorship 4

2009-10-09T19:04:00.000+02:00

How did I go about writing 'The Green Man at Buddleigh'?

The novel started life as a short story, loosely based on my own experiences. I posted the story of about 5000 words on a short story website to gauge reaction and it proved quite successful. The story, which centred on the greed of banks and bankers, appeared at the time when the industry was in crisis with Governments having to rescue Banks such as Northern Rock and RBS with public money.

Following on from that, I thought it would make a good topical TV drama. I found a free script writing programme on the internet called 'celtx' and spent a couple of weeks learning the medium and translating the story, a task I thoroughly enjoyed. However, if finding a publisher for a novel is hard enough, try finding an agent for a film or tv script. It's almost a closed shop. The BBC had my script for almost three months before turning it down.

I was despondent but remained confident because it was still a good story. I had been thinking about my follow up book in the Saigh Valley stories and decided that I could adapt the short story and transform it into a full novel. It needed, however, to be more than a rant about banks; there needed to be a story that embraced the traditional three part format of background, problem and resolution. Slowly, but with an uncanny certainty it came together in my mind over the next weeks. The story became transformed into a ghost story as the inn that formed the centrepiece of the original story took on a history that shaped the narrative.

I use microsoft word for my actual story telling and excel spreadsheet to build the structure; like a skeleton on which to build the flesh of the story. I do this in two ways. On one spreadsheet I write out 30 chapters, and mark out roughly the plot of the story, perhaps with headlines. Then I fill in the other chapters, paying attention to the second spreadsheet which has a time frame. In previous works I've roughly known the end by the time I start. If I need more than 30 chapters, then I add them on. One can buy or download programmes that do this for you but I find them too complicated to follow. Into this spreadsheet, one can incorporate all the ideas that occur or copy your spontaneous notes from the notebook all writers should keep with them at all times.

To be continued in Authorship 5

Authorship 3

2009-09-22T17:07:00.000+02:00

When I'd finished 'The Lamb at Nettlesham', I really thought that I'd written a story that had something for everyone. Sue, my staunchest critic wasn't so impressed and her instinct proved to be correct. I launched my biggest drive to find an agent, sending copies of the first three chapters to more than a dozen, some replying in the negative and others simply not replying. I can understand in a way; there's no polite requirement to respond to unsolicited submissions but in a way I feel that it's disrespectful to dismiss so easily a person's work of art.

Fortunately, I was not deterred by these setbacks and resolved to continue my writing, even if it was solely for my own satisfaction. My head was still buzzing with ideas and I was keen to get them down on paper while they were still fresh.

The next story was number two of the Apsaras series a book I called 'Apsaras II- The 6th Ring.'
The story picked up where 'Apsaras' finished but quickly moved from being a story set in Thailand to one that covered the globe. Working on a story that involved Somalian Piracy, drug running in Guinea-Bissau before they were in the news was exhilarating. Although the story moved quickly from Hong Kong and Hawaii to Haiti and Florida, it still failed to impress the agencies. Now, of course, the newspapers are full of these stories and others including Iranian ghost ships and my ideas, which a couple of years ago were new, are now exposed.

It's frustrating when it happens but I'm not the only author with fresh ideas who is shunned. Writer's must realise that at the end of the day, publishing is not a charity and publishers only take on books that will make money. I am under no illusions that I'm a good writer, but I must admit to being frustrated when the model, Katie Price, sells a lot of books without having written a single word.

The preoccupation with celebrity has distorted the market and books written by or about the stars of film, television and sport, in particular are automatic best sellers. Breaking into the fiction market is therefore extremely difficult for newcomers, particularly when you consider that 100,000 new books of all types, are submitted to agencies each year.

To be continued in Authorship 4

Authorship 2

2009-09-22T17:05:00.000+02:00

Decisions.

After writing 'Apsaras' I had the novel writing bug. It excited me to think that I might be able to make money from my works but I also discovered that I genuinely enjoyed the challenge of story telling. I had a buzz each time different threads of the story impinged at what scientists might call a 'eureka' moment. Also, as if to confirm that I had the right credentials to be a novelist, my wife, Sue, reassured me that to be a successful story teller I had to be an accomplished liar!!

I began to write my second novel, 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' before I really knew what I wanted to write about. With 'Apsaras', I could identify with a globe trotting 'hero' having adventures, and had already decided to write a sequel. What else? My working life was spent almost exclusively in the licensed trade, firstly in pubs in the Thames Valley and then a hotel, ouside Abingdon. It seemed logical, particularly since I had started with a pub story, to write about pubs and inns; their owners or tenants and their customers. However, with this series, rather than have one central character, as in 'Apsaras', I decided to introduce new characters for each story with constant reference to old ones.

I invented the beautiful 'Saigh Valley', to the west of London as the imaginary setting. The Gaelic word 'Saigh' derives from the same Latin word, sagitta, an arrow, as in Sagittarius, the archer. There are rivers in England called the 'Arrow' and the 'Dart'. It was most satisfying to arrive at this rather apt name.

What about style? 'Apsaras' was a stright narrative; although the book cover describes it as a love story, it had more to it than one theme. It was part adventure and part thriller without fully embracing either genre. With Henry Bagshot I wanted some humour. One of my favourite authors is Tom Sharpe, who has written, amongst others, the funny 'Wilt' books and 'Porterhouse Blue' and it was his form of comedy that I wanted to try and incorporate.

I was happy with this. The Jack Benson stories were to be pure invention, allowing my mind to wander wherever; sometimes based on fact and at other times fanciful imagination. The Saigh Valley stories were to be loosely based on my experiences in the licensed trade and in which I hoped to address social issues such as alcoholism.

To be continued in Authorship 3

Authorship 1- In the beginning.

2009-09-16T11:58:00.000+02:00

In the beginning

My fourth novel, 'The Green Man at Buddleigh' is nearing completion. It has been written and my wife is reviewing it, looking for errors and grammatical faults.
The first four chapters have been despatched to the literary agents, Curtis Brown, in the hope that it will find favour with them. I shall continue writing my blogs on how this novel proceeds; how I attempt to put the story before the wider audience I believe it deserves.

In the meantime, because turning a story into a published book is a long process, I shall try and describe, in a series of blogs, how the novel came into being. Before I do, it might be a good idea to provide some background.

In my short literary career, I had already written three novels, beginning with 'Apsaras' in 2007. 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' was written in the winter of 2007/8 and 'Apsaras II- The 6th Ring' finished in 2008.
(To read more about these novels please click on the links in this blog.)
The first 'Apsaras' was written in just over three months, starting March 2007, my 60th birthday. It was completed quickly so as to be entered in the inaugural Daily Mail new author competition.

At the start of that year I had no ambition to be an author; indeed I had done nothing like it in my life before. I was in Thailand, visiting my daughter in law and my beautiful grandchild. I was lounging on a hotel bed in Bangkok, doing a sudoku puzzle when my mind started to fantasize. We had just made a short trip to Cambodia to see the Angkor Wat temple complex and attended a concert/talk by Doctor Beat Richner, a paediatrician at the local hospital in Seam Reap. This man made a huge impression on me. He is the same age as me but whereas in my life I have failed to make any impact, he has almost single handedly been responsible for saving tens of thousands of young lives in the unfortunate country of Cambodia. His work is truly inspirational and and as I wrote in 'Apsaras, deserves a Nobel Prize.
(To find out more about Dr. Beat Richner go to http://www.beat-richner.ch/ )

I don't know what made me do it but I started to write down a few ideas that began to resemble the outline of a story, starting with the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004.

Since retiring early in 2003, I realised that I had insufficient money to do so, and had spent four years developing and promoting a new form of mini golf, called '2-Ball Golf', ideal for resorts, holiday centres and cruise ships. Sadly, and to my great disappointment, I couldn't make it work, and after spending a vast amount of our money, I decided I needed to find another source of income.
(To see a video of 2-Ball Golf click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKUGoo2lbjo)

As I lay on that Bangkok hotel bed, I had no intention of becoming an author, but with a story forming in my mind I thought, 'Why not?'. I returned to England and began writing in ernest. A friend told me of the Daily Mail competition and the race was on. It had to be submitted by July 1st, that year giving me just under four months.
It was too little time; without adequate revision, although I believe the story is strong, it was poorly written and deservedly failed. It took another three or four months of 'tinkering' before I was satisfied with my work.

Finding an Agent

2009-09-15T10:45:00.000+02:00

Last week, I was sufficiently happy with the first four chapters to send them to the Literary Agents, Messrs. Curtis Brown. They are one of the foremost agencies in the British Isles and although they have previously turned down my work, it will at least make a start.

I have sent four chapters rather than three because it better represents the work and at 58 pages isn't, in my opinion, too long.

Why not go to my publishers in America? Unlike, the 'Apsaras' stories, which have an international flavour, this novel has a distinct English theme. Like 'The Lamb at Nettlesham', the first of my Saigh Valley stories, 'The Green Man at Buddleigh' focuses on the licensed trade.

In this blog, I'm going to chronicle what happens to this novel. My quest to find an agent and then a publisher. The reader will be able to follow my ups and downs on the journey to bring my story to the wider audience I believe it deserves.

In addition to the novel, I have also completed a screen play for this story.

Selected Passages from 'The Green Man at Buddleigh'

2009-09-02T09:29:00.000+02:00

“It’s no use, Hugo,” said Alexander, resting his hand on his brother’s shoulder, his voice etched with resignation. I’ve had enough running. Elizabeth’s tired. Not so much physically tired, although she is weary, but mentally worn out with the constant moving; the constant worry of our being captured.”

“But they’ll kill you if they discover you here; and all of us, too, for harbouring you,” replied the despairing brother.

“There’s maybe a way; if I can just disappear,” said Alexander. “Completely, I mean, from the face of the earth.”

“But Elizabeth will be here. They’ll know you won’t be far. They’re not stupid, brother.”

“She must tell them that I left for Leith, days ago, and will never return.”

“What do you want us to do? What’s your plan?” asked Hugo, concerned, as ever for his brother’s welfare.

“I want you to brick me up, behind a false wall, so that in any inspection I can’t be discovered. Later, when they’ve gone, you can release me.”

She took it to the sitting room where, after opening the curtains, she sat on the chesterfield with her feet up to read the local paper, the Bustington Gazette, where an advertisement caught her eye.

FOR SALE. The Green Man' inn. Sixteenth Century coaching inn, Buddleigh.
Contact Agents: Cockburn & Bailey's.

With Jack away until the middle of the afternoon, Liz decided to go and look at 'The Green Man'. In the past she had thought of taking a pub as a way of them working together and starting the family, she so badly wanted.

“One million pounds you say. That’s an awful lot of money, Liz,” said Jack, shaking his head. “Is it really worth it?”

“You only have to see the price of properties in the village to know that it’s not going to be far off,” said Liz, petulantly. “Remember, it’s an expensive area and the business is a going concern and, from what you’ve just heard, will be profitable from the start.”

“Indeed,” said the agent. “In fact 'The Green Man’ is one of the best businesses we have on our books at the moment. We have the figures for you to look at and I can tell you that although we will look at offers, we will only settle at very close to the asking price.”

Sally had to shout louder after him. “Polly Perkins liked to call you Tommy, didn’t she?” The banker slowed down and half turned to look at her. “What do you mean by that? What do you want?” he asked, pathetically.

“‘Tommy the Tank, Tompkinson’, she called you. Remember, Tommy. She told me it was on account of your pokin’ her with your barrel and shouting ‘Fire’ every time you discharged.”

“Quiet! Quiet, damn you. People will hear.”

“What you frightened of, Tommy? That people will find out. That your wife will get to know? Polly was only thirteen at the time.”

The Lords passed by the beautiful yachts expecting, at any moment, to come across the ‘Foxtrot Oscar’ when suddenly Jack saw Saplinski, standing to one side of a group he took to be other Grindley’s staff. With the exception of one, a man in a suit who Jack guessed was a senior executive of the bank, the group, including Saplinski, were dressed casually. What made Saplinski stand out from the crowd was his effected appearance, complete with ‘Tom o’ Shanter’ hat and navy blue shirt, emblazoned with an anchor and with an exaggerated collar bearing the legend ‘Hello! Sailor’. To Jack, it was no wonder his colleagues stood some way away from him; Saplinski looked nothing less than ridiculous.

Behind them, there was a crash. Jack looked back and saw a roof tile had narrowly missed one of the bailiffs. They looked up and could se a gap where the tile had once been and the man moved away from the house.

Jack folded the buggy and put it into the boot, along with some suitcases. Without looking back at 'The Green Man' he drove off to the terrace house in Camelia Terrace, the council had found for them.

Jack made a simple entry in his diary that night.
June 29th. Worst day of my life.

The incidents at the churchyard had already started; within a few days of the corpse’s interment. The first thing that happened was to the plain headstone that Liz had bought and set at the head of the grave; it had been toppled, despite having been well set . She was not particularly religious, despite her parents being Catholics, and bearing in mind that the deceased was unknown, kept the inscription simple: it read,
‘A Child of God. RIP. All will be well’.

She didn’t know why she used the phrase; it just came into her head as she met with the stone masons.

The Green Man at Buddleigh: Synopsis

2009-08-31T11:10:00.000+02:00

THE GREEN MAN AT BUDDLEIGH

SYNOPSIS

A story of mystery, greed and hope, set in the late eighties and early nineties.

Liz, an advertising manager in an upmarket magazine and her husband, Jack Lord, a pharmaceutical chemist, decide to change their lifestyle and buy a sixteenth century coaching inn, set in the beautiful Saigh Valley.

‘The Green Man’ had been in the same family, the Flemings, for hundreds of years, but from the outset, Liz had a strange empathy with both the old landlord and the inn. Under the Lord’s management, the business boomed and their bankers were keen to fund the expansion deemed necessary to accommodate the growing trade. In fact the bank managers almost insist that the Lords borrow more.

However, the boom, and the happiness it spawned, was soon followed by bust and despair. As the recession and high interest rates of the early nineties took its toll, the bank repossessed the property, leaving the penniless Lords to move into council housing. As Liz Lord finds a job in teaching, her husband turns to writing and begins to write a novel.

Following the Lord’s eviction from ‘The Green Man’, fate seemed to be playing a strange hand when the inn is mysteriously burned down and a mummified body is recovered from the ruin. Almost immediately, the story takes a strange twist as the inn’s hidden secrets become exposed and the Fleming family’s history is uncovered.

What is the connection between the Lords, the Flemings and the inn and what is the mysterious force that underpins their relationship?

As Jack’s novel becomes a best seller, an opportunity arises for the Lords to take their revenge on the greedy bank and its unscrupulous managers.

At times, comic, at other times tragic, the tale of ‘The Green Man at Buddleigh’ is a story of mystery and intrigue that draws the reader to ponder on the fickleness of life.

Kevill Davies

Oct 2009

(Book length 112,000 words)