WIP

Many authors talk about their work while they're writing, but I'm a bit superstitious about that. Besides, my ideas, the characters and the story keep changing. I don't really know what it's all about until I reach the end and then I see the patterns that have emerged and work out how to strengthen them.

This book is due in at the end of the month and luckily, I've almost finished it and have two weeks to 'play' with it and improve it (fingers crossed).

I thought I'd show you a couple of things that have inspired me.
First this collage...




If you care to click on it, it will come up bigger.






This central photo of the couple and the baby is pivotal to the story. Nell and Jacob are baby Tegan's parents, but she was born twenty years before the book starts and was given up for adoption . Nell and Jacob went their separate ways and now, in their late thirties, they are drawn back together by another baby, Harry, (who is actually the baby boy in this photo.) I won't give away more details just yet.

I'm going to send this pic to my editor in the hope that the artist might consider it for the cover. It's happened before!

The other source of inspiration for Nell and Jacob's story is a poem by William Butler Yeats, who happens to be one of my all time favourite poets. This poem is important to my characters and provides one of the themes in their story. So here it is. I hope you like it as much as I do...

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread my cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams,
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats (1865- 1939)
"He Wishes For the Clouds of Heaven."

OK, one or two clues as to how this poem became relevant.
(1) Jacob was poor, the son of Nell's parents' cook.
(2) Nell makes beautiful patchwork quilts.

But as writer Justin Hill (whose romantic novel set in ancient China is called Passing Under Heaven and is just amazing) says on his website: "inspiration is an irregular and untimley visitor... and lots of writing is less inspiration and more slog."
Inspiration is an irregular and untimely visitor. As wres and music, I find good tea (jasmine) and incense (inspiration issandalwood) helps it come. But then lots of writing is less inspiration and slog, or just hrd work.Inspiration is an irregular and untimely visitor. As well as pictures and music, I find good tea (jasmine) and incense (sandalwood) helps it come. But then lots of writing is less inspiration and slog, or just hrd work.Inspiration is an irregular and untimely visitor. As well as pictures and music, I find good tea (jasmine) and incense (sandalwood) helps it come. But then lots of writing is less inspiration and slog, or just hrd work.