Where Does your Protagonist Hang Out?

Recently, I was bemoaning the struggle of finding the time and motivation to keep writing ‘Finding the Scream’ to my writer friend, Helen Blenkinsop (AKA AA Abbott).

She offered a piece of advice that really resonated:

"Imagine where Kat Orlov would hang out and write there."

Now, Kat spends a lot of time in Cyprus (she also has a base in London), and much as I’d like to jet off and tap away on my laptop beside the pool in a beautiful villa, that’s just not practical! 

However, I can imagine the sort of place Kat might hang out I can get to. 

But where could it be?

We first meet Kat in Gabriel’s Game, Part 1: The White Queen. 

As I was writing her, I knew she had to be my next heroine. I felt so drawn to her as a person, I wanted to write her books next.

Katarina Orlov (Kat) is a freelance seeker. A multilingual, bisexual, single parent - she has a wealth of contradictions that will be fun to explore. 

At the end of the Sheridan and Blake Series, I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to Tom Sheridan and Sasha Blake, so Tom features in the next book, as do some bad guys that will be familiar to fans of the series.



However, it’s important to me that, despite the links to the last series of books, Kat’s books need to be distinctive in their own right.

In Gabriel’s Game, Part 2: The Black Knight, Dr Sasha Blake is on the verge of a breakdown. 



A suffocating grief has hold of Sasha and she’s drinking herself to oblivion. 

It’s an unlikely connection to Kat - a woman who has also been intimate with Tom Sheridan - that pulls Sasha from despair and helps her to move on positively. 

Sasha explores undiscovered parts of her own sexuality with Kat, and it’s Kat’s fondness for Sasha that drives her to continue to help with the hunt for the Democritus Manuscript, despite her own reluctance.

Sasha lives in my hometown of Bristol. 

She owns a modern boutique apartment overlooking the harbourside 

(One of the great things about writing is you get to live out your own fantasy life through your characters!)

Given the closeness between the two women, it’s conceivable that Kat may visit Sasha in Bristol. 

So, if Kat were to come from London or Cyprus to visit Sasha, where would Sahsa take her for dinner, or a coffee, or a glass of wine, in Bristol?

I think it would be one of two places:

Brigstow Bar and Kitchen 

Spoke and Stringer

Slick and modern, neither venue would be out of place in London. 

The Brigstow, with its continental feel and waterfront location, on a sunny day it could be somewhere in the Mediterranean.  

Both locations are also within a short stumbling distance of where Sasha’s apartment would be. 

I have no doubt, that it Kat were to come to visit Sasha, they would share Sasha's bed!

 

Once Sasha had taken her to either place, if Kat were to find herself working on her laptop in a coffee shop in Bristol, she would go somewhere familiar.

So, now I have two possible locations to work on the book from. 

#FindingTheScream

Now, I just have to make the time to do it!

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What's in a Name?

There's a long tradition of author's writing under an assumed name.

We do this for many reasons, for example: to remain anonymous, to hide our gender, to distinguish between genre's... we all have our reasons.

Mathematician, Charles Dodson, wrote one of my favourite books of all time in a name for which he is better known: Lewis Caroll.

I loved 'Alice in Wonderland', at one stage as a child I learned the words to the 'Jabberwocky' by heart...

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

...such a fantastical piece of writing made all the better by virtue of the fact that in true Shakespearean tradition, Carroll made up many of the words.



Another of my favourite authors, Stephen King, published four novels as Richard Bachman. He was such a prolific writer that his publishers didn't think readers would be willing to buy more than one novel a year by a single author. He was quickly outed because his distinctive voice as an author rang loud and clear through the books.

Being an author has been my dream since I was a child. I remember daydreaming of seeing my name printed on the spine of my own books.

When I wrote the Sheridan And Blake Adventure Series, there was never a question in my mind that I'd publish them in my maiden name.

In my head, as a child, 'Fitzjohn' was a very authory name! 

That little girl, with crazy dreams of being an author, still jumps for joy whenever she picks up one of those books!

But there is more to it than that...

I have childhood memories of hours spent in dusty libraries and registry offices while my dad studied microfiches, books, historic documents and parish records to trace our family tree. I'm showing my age here, but the internet didn't exist then!

I don't have any children and I'm now married. Therefore, my lineage as a Fitzjohn ended on 16th June 2004 (my wedding anniversary).

Being such an unusual name, I wanted to keep the 'Fitzjohn' name as part of that family legacy, and what better way than to do so through literature.

In the front of all my books is this dedication:

There is also a 21st century advantage to an unusual name; if you type Amy Fitzjohn into Google it's just me.

Once I'd decided I would use the Fitzjohn name, I toyed with the idea of using initials 'A C Fitzjohn' - that way my gender doesn't matter. Whether we realise it or not, we make unconscious judgements about a book when the author is female. 

In the adventure/thriller genre especially, there are very few female authors. 

At first, I thought it would put me at a disadvantage to make it obvious that I was female, however, ultimately, I decided that I didn't want to hide that I was one of very few female authors in this genre. 

I wanted to be a pioneering female in a male dominated genre, so I went with my name and middle initial instead.

So what about you?

If you published a book, would you use a 'nom de plume', and why?

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If You Write... You are a Writer

I met a friend and fellow writer, Anita Mccallum, recently in Margot May Tearooms in Bristol and we shared a lovely pot of tea and scribbled on some bunting while we were talking.

Here's Anita's excellent 'Louder than words' blog: http://loud-word.co/ 

Anita had recently written a blog post about her experience on an Arvon retreat and in it she writes; 'How do you know when you are a real writer?'

My response was; 'you write don't you? It's what you do?... well then you are a writer!'

I need to remind myself that first and foremost; I'm a writer.   


I've been spending so much of my time cultivating my business support business, that I've forgotten to protect my writing time.   

With one final book in the Sheridan and Blake Adventure Series, I am close to the end of one writing project but need to finish it before I move on to the next.   

Something that always helps me to find my mojo is positive affirmations and inspirational quotations:   

This one seems fitting as it reinforces my vision for my business... 

 

This is one I often write inside books when I sign them for people... 

 
This one reminds me that I can write the story in my head but I need to get it onto to the page if I want to share it... 

 
This one reminds me that the most important thing to do, even if you don't feel like it, even if you are in a fug of self doubt, is to just write... 


 

This one, similarly reminds me to just write, until I show it to anyone, no one is judging it...

  

And finally, this one reminds me that I have to write, that it keeps me sane and that in order for me to move forward I need to empty all the bumf from my brain out onto the page... 

 

 So... now I'm going to sit down and just write!

What are your favourite motivational 

mantras and quotations?

Coffee Shops: Office or Playground?

Follow my adventures in writing and entrepreneurship on my website and read more blog posts offering; tips, advice, inspiration and ideas for freelancers and small business:

www.AmyMorse.co.uk

 

I am self employed, but I'm also a social person and gather energy and inspiration by being around other people. 
 

It means that one of the greatest challenges I face is struggling with the isolation that working at home can bring.

I find a reason to go out every day and like to conduct business over a coffee with people, when people meet me, they are more likely to want to work with me.

As a writer, it's easy to lose an entire day tapping away at a keyboard and not see another person until my husband gets home from work.

I like to take my laptop out with me and work in coffee shops. I find that just the babble of voices around me feeds my creativity and motivation to write, and it gets me out of my pyjamas and out of the house!

I live in the fantastic city of Bristol UK. 

A city that has won awards for its cuisine and its independent spirit.

A city that celebrates diversity and does so through food and drink. 

I am spoiled for choice for places to eat and drink and all within walking distance.

But Bristol is a different animal in the daytime during the week, when most people are at work. 

As you would expect in a family friendly city; during the week most of the coffee shops are filled with mums.

At this point, I need to add a caveat...

I'm in my late 30's, I'm very happily married (and have been for 12 years) and I have no desire to be a mum.

This is the part where most people look at me with either; fear, disgust, mistrust, horror or sympathy. 

I am a social pariah by virtue of the fact that I am childless and I choose to be. Even my own family (especially my own family) don't understand it.

I'm a proud aunt, most of my friends have kids - I don't hate children. I'm not some weird Cruella DeVille character who wants to make a child skin jacket. 

Kids are fine, they can be fun to be around, but at the end of the day I want to come home to a quiet house and minimal responsibilities.

Frankly, I'm amazed I've managed to keep myself alive for this long, let alone another person!

My husband and I are very happy in our family unit of 2 (+ cat) thank you very much.

I can work in a noisy, child filled environment but I don't want to. When I told this to my sister (who has 2 small children) she said that was "depressing".

Is it? Is it not okay for me to want to have a public space to work in that is not filled with children? (Without having to pay to book a room - the whole point is to be around people, not in a room on my own!)

Picture this: You're trying to have a professional meeting with another freelancer and you have to raise your voices over the sound of children screaming and make sure your bags, coats etc. are out of reach from sticky fingers.  

In a city as eclectic as Bristol with its, literally, thousands of coffee shops it should be possible to find one to take a laptop into or meet a client in, without feeling like I'm sat in an adventure playground?

This is my challenge.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to work in a variety of coffee shops in the city and rate them for their useability as a mobile office.

I've constructed a short survey, so that I measure each establishment against the same criteria.

My questions include:

• Do they have Free WiFi?
• Value for money - Not 'cheap', I'll pay more for a good coffee.
• Friendliness of staff
• Noise/Environment

I'll score each place and report my findings.


Have your say...

Am I out of order to seek this?

 

Should there be places where adults can find sanctuary from other people's children?

 

Are there enough child friendly places?  

What's it like where you live - how child friendly are public spaces?

(Please comment)