Rae of Light

Originally a guest post which featured on Murder Underground Broke the Camel's Back First of all I have to state categorically that I did not plan on writing Palindrome . I was adamant there would be no sequel to my debut novel Six Dead Men as I was already working on several other ideas. Denial is futile. This prequel insisted on being written. Its conception is due to a vivid dream I had in which a woman was remembering the day her baby was born. I woke with the realisation that it was Robert’s mother I was hearing. I grabbed a notebook and hastily jotted down the gist of what she had to say. At the time I was concentrating on other projects but several of the characters kept demanding I tell the world more about them. So Six Degrees a la Kevin Bacon style was conceived. It’s a series of 6 vignettes which focus on the back story of Six Dead Men . This little collection hints at links between characters and situations.   I thought this would mollify my nagging cha...

The prequel novella to Six Dead Men is due out at the end of this month. So what’s it all about? Setting : Haddington, near Edinburgh, 1975 Main characters : Robert Deed & his burgeoning psychic abilities, Arthur & Rowena Deed and the murderer Subsidiary characters : An Italian Chef, Luisa Pearce & the police In Haddington change is a process slowed by tradition and the luxury of a certain distance from the swift progress of the rest of the world. On the cusp of adulthood, Robert Deed looks beyond a thing and sees inside it. It’s a trait shared with his all-seeing mother. No-one knows Robert’s strangeness better than his mother Rowena.   In her dreams she sees his future but knows she will not be there to see her son mature.   Pushing aside her sorrow at this knowledge, she instead focuses on giving him the tools he'll need to be a man of worth. Robert’s 13th birthday approaches. But this birthday brings more than a coming of age c...

A Fortnight in the life of a Writer/Tutor My weekly schedule before the end of exams Since Easter it’s been all go at my Writing HQ, aka the desk in my living room. I’ve been diligently working on the final edits of my upcoming release. Meanwhile I’ve still had to maintain tutoring commitments as well as my obligations to Inkhead. In the midst of all this I attempted to continue my Italian studies via Duolingo. Around the beginning of May the charity I teach at asked for 6 weeks of detailed lesson planning so they can comply with their application for DFE status. While not difficult to do, as any teacher knows, this is incredibly labour intensive. So glad to say I’ve finally finished that lot. However, as I’m the one and only English tutor it also falls to me to plan next year’s curriculum. My work is not yet done. Onward. To add to my May and June tutoring load, my less confident GCSE students requested extra tuition sessions as their exams were looming. Thankfu...

The release of the prequel to Six Dead Men is looming (a month and a half to go) and my Writing Group has become a screeching monkey on my back. Every time I go to the group they demand even more edits. So just when I think I’m making significant headway and will be ready to send a final copy off to my Advance Reader Team, I’m back to snipping away at the novella. At this rate it’s going to be a narrative poem. But the truth of the matter is I love this interaction. Earlier this year, when I had to forego my sessions with the group due to family commitments, I went through withdrawal and began to edge towards malaise. And it wasn’t because of the lack of snacks and drinks so kindly provided by the host of the evening. This group is the perfect fit for me. They challenge me. I’ve been in groups where reviewers have oohed and aahed about my writing. As gratifying as that was, the feeling always lasted for as long as it took me to drive home. Deep down I always knew the wo...

The Witch Adoption Project , the cheeky little fantasy upstart won the battle of the genres. Scifi fans were just not fast enough with their trigger fingers to topple this young lady from her perch on high. She will now be the WIP I work on for next year once Palindrome is published this summer. The main battle was fought on my Facebook page and she won by 31 votes. Here is her successful plea to the public. As you can see, she shamelessly used her youth to pull the voters in. Hi there My name is THE WITCH ADOPTION PROJECT and I'm a WIP sitting in a folder on Rae's laptop. I want more out of life. I don't want to stay a draft forever more. I want to be published. So I'm appealing to you dear followers to support my cause and vote for me. Yes I'm young. Yes I'm precocious. But age is only good for wine and cheese. I'm neither. The rest is now up to you. You know what you have to do. The Witch Adoption Project is the seq...

This summer I’m wending my way up to Edinburgh with my best Sheffield buddy for my annual ‘summer’ holiday.   The weather isn’t exactly playing its part in my idea of a summer break, but then choosing to take a holiday in the UK is the price I have to pay for that.  So no bikini or sunblock. There are two reasons why I’m heading to Scotland.  And no, one of them isn’t my defection north of the border due to Brexit, though I was sorely tempted.  Nor is it because the knuckle-biting good looking redheads up that way are more plentiful.  I have certain friends who would argue this second is exactly why I’m going, but I insist there are two more pressing reasons.  These are: I’ve always wanted to visit Edinburgh and decided after being in the UK for over 20 years it was about time I finally did it. I need to do some research for my prequel – Palindrome.   The research will take place in and around Haddington but it seemed like the perfe...

So who are my protagonists and why do I want to write about them? To answer this question I have to look at who they are. Madison Bricot ( Six Dead Men ) Neera Luxquaera ( Where Rainbows Hide ) Petra Sucher ( When Rainbows Cry ) Clarissa Henry ( The Lonely Dragon ) Alanna Webber ( Sharp Dark Things ) Rowena Deed ( Palindrome ) Detective Inspector Robert Deed ( Palindrome ) The first and most obvious thing to note is that all but one of my protagonists is female.  I’m not against a male protagonist.  I just understand what it is to be female and so write what I know. Now time to take a closer look at my characters and why I create them. Madison Bricot is an insecure young woman who has the ability to kill with a kiss.  If you rearrange the letters in her name they spell out the Italian phrase for ‘kiss of death’.  She was most certainly born out of my own insecurities and fears I’m sure.  When I look back at the things I wrote...