Starting to read a new novel is like beginning an affair

 Starting a new novel is like beginning an affair. You are intrigued in the opening stages and - hopefully - want to continue to see where it leads. For someone like me who reads novels that I enjoyed in the past over and over again, it can be daunting. At least when I open my Jane Austen novels I know what to expect and practically know the whole thing by heart from start to finish. It is like visiting old friends, or let's say, it is like a satisfying relationship where both parties know what to expect from each other.

Untravelled terrain, i.e. a new novel or a new romance, is trickier. You are lured into the early stages by the skill of the author or the skill of the new romantic interest. Initially, you find it exciting (well for novels, sort of, if you know what I mean) and it takes a while for it to become routine. Sadly, I could count the number of novels on the fingers of my left hand which have made me sit up late into the night to find out what happened. When you are an author yourself you recognize some of the tricks of the trade. That's fine provided they work and don't irritate. I'm not going to elaborate on that aspect of writing. Now, with the beginning of a romance, you just melt into it. Later on things can start to irritate you. It then depends what else is going on in the relationship - a bit like the plot of a novel. I always give any new novel three chapters to keep me interested. You could say the same for dating that fabulous hunk you met at that party. He was such fun and made you laugh but a few weeks later you think maybe you just found him so entertaining because you were a bit tipsy at that party and have been assuming that he's so much fun instead of experiencing it. In other words, he's not really genuinely like that. Not your type. 

Of course it's easier to put the novel away or give the novel away and move on to the next one. In the dating process, it takes a while to come to a decision "yes, he's nice but not really my type"  and you usually won't have the next date standing there waiting for you.

So maybe stick to reading novels? No? I thought not. Better go out and have some fun and still keep on dating and reading!

Meanwhile, here's the link to my latest Christmas novel A Happy Christmas at Fernwood Cottages by Peggy O'Mahony: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYLNZKP5 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are Women Still Reading Women's Magazines?

 When I am visiting my daughter in Germany, I usually buy a stack of women's magazines. They are a mixture of fashion, make up and health advice mixed with pages of recipes and tips on cooking and baking. They make suggestions on what you should cook every day and give menu plans for losing weight. They tell you what fruit and vegetables are in season and can show you a plethora of new ideas on what and how to bake. No woman's magazine would be complete without tips on diet. "Lose 12 pounds in 4 weeks" headlines are followed by examples of one woman who actually did it, including a "before" and "after" photo to prove the point. A page or two further on and there will be a recipe for a cream-laden gateau with strawberries on top. Never mind.

The magazines don't only have articles on cooking, baking and dieting. No self-respecting woman's magazine would be complete without the story of how a woman escaped an abusive relationship. There are usually heart-warming stories on how a woman found her dream partner or changed her life around by going on a bike tour of the world or something like it. There are stories about pet animals.  There is also at least one if not more prize crosswords where you can win a basket of cosmetics or something like that. They have articles on the European royals, as well, and also on celebs with photos of famous women attending fashion shows or treading the red carpet at some fashionable event.

I love the travel section. Mountains with breath-taking views, long golden beaches, pagodas and temples from afar.  Reports on ski resorts are my favourites. All that snow and those beautiful chalet-like hotels and the reports on the ski slopes and the apres ski parties. Makes me want to take off and go there.

In the past, there would be a page of letters from readers but this has in most cases dwindled to one or two, mostly commenting on a previously published article. I too much fear that the art of writing letters is dying out as social media takes over.

I usually buy several of these mangazines. They have names which roughly translate as "More for the Woman", "Woman's Illustrated", "Current News for the Woman" (though on this last one, I think does not accurately translate the title). Yes, they all have similar articles. But they are ideal if you are travelling and just want to pass a few hours without battering your brain cells.

It would be a shame if these women's magazines disappeared from the market. They do cater for all tastes. I haven't mentioned the ones which concentrate on TV soaps and horrifically sad stories of violence towards women, because I don't read stuff like that. 

I have a whole drawer-full of recipes cut out from these magazines but very rarely tried out - well, maybe one or two. I will be in Germany again for Christmas and, surprise, surprise, I'll be buying more of these magazines and no doubt cutting out a recipe or two which I'll probably never use.

Lastly, I am going to be very pushy and give you the link to my latest feel-good novel available now from Amazon as a kindle or paperback.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYLNZKP5 

Have a good week everyone! 

 

 

What are you reading?

I belong to a book club and we get a book to read every month. Some of these novels are very entertaining, others not so much. There is a trend in publishing every year, remember Gone Girl, the Girl on the Train, and a host of other similiar titles? It gets kind of boring after a while: The Couple Next Door, the Woman in the Window, I could go on...

I usually make up my mind if I like a novel after the first chapter and I don't give it much longer than that, I must confess. 

 What reels me in to a story? Basically, I have to feel interested in the main character and the plot has to be intriguing. There is a character called Nicki in one of my crime novels, The Past Is Never Dead and I never thought of her as a major person of interest, to use police speak, so I was surprised by the amount of readers who wanted to know what happened to her, did she get murdered in the end?  I am delighted that Nicki resonated so much with so many people. What was it about Nicki that they liked? She is a happy-go-lucky girl who worked in a bar in Spain and fell for the son of a rich landowner. Not super intelligent or super sophisticated and yet she struck a chord somewhere. 

Can I plug this particular novel so you can judge for yourselves? Thank you.

 

    

Available as Amazon Kindle or paperback and also online from Waterstones.

What am I reading at present? I picked up my Collected Works of Oscar Wilde last night and started reading Lady Windermere's Fan. And do you know what? I'm hooked. Why? I can't really answer that. Why is Lady Windermere so wary of Lord Darlington? What role does her fan play? And the dialogue is typically witty Oscar Wilde. "Do you know that good people do a great deal of harm in this world" says the cynical Lord Darlington. I want to find out what his game is and how it all progresses. And it's not the kind of stuff I usually read.

At present, I need something to make me smile, with the world the way it is. I am also reading Wendy Holden's Last of the Summer Moet and she always makes me smile or even laugh out loud. Priceless.

 Keep reading everyone!