Hannah Howe
Pre-orders for the first Sam Smith Omnibus are starting to roll in. This book, featuring the first three Sam novels – Sam’s Song, Love and Bullets, and The Big Chill, will be published on Kindle on 6.6.2015. Currently, the book is available at the special promotional price of $4.99/£3.49. If you are interested in this book please take advantage of the promotion now before the full price is applied to the title http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UDIO6CC
Q + A
Where do you get your ideas from?
The characters. A Sam Smith mystery starts with Sam and where she’s at in her life, and with the person who walks through her office door to hire her. Once those two elements have been established, the story unfolds from there.
How would you describe a Sam Smith novel?
The stories are a blend of detective mystery, psychology and romance. Detective mysteries are my favourite reading; before becoming a writer I was a counsellor and I put that experience to good use; and I’m a romantic, hence the romantic element.
Your books are published by Goylake Publishing, a small independent publisher; why is that? Were they rejected by the larger publishers?
The Sam Smith books were not offered to a large publishing house for a variety of reasons. I do not write for riches or fame, I write for the love of the story. In the past I have submitted manuscripts to large publishing houses and while they liked the stories I found there was too much creative interference; it was like writing by committee with everything from the cover, to the title to the content of the story decided on by other people. In the end, I failed to recognise the manuscript as my own and withdrew it from publication. I did not want that to happen with the Sam Smith mysteries, so I approached Goylake. Goylake allow me to have creative control and that is more important to me than a higher royalty rate or the prospect of ‘fame’.
Through your website and book club you have established a loyal readership; that must thrill you?
It does. It thrills me because these readers like Sam and want to travel with her on her life’s journey. As an author, you can’t ask for more.
What next for Sam?
That depends on her. You know a story is working when the characters dictate what should happen next, not you, the author. Sam’s character determines what will happen next. In some respects, I feel as though she is sitting next to me, dictating; I just type up her words. It is an amazing feeling, the best I’ve had as a writer.
This weekend, March 14th – 15th, Sam’s Song is number one in the Amazon chart for crime fiction based in Wales and in the top 100 of the chart ‘female sleuths’. Many thanks to everyone who has read the book xxx.
Brother Cadfael
Created by Ellis Peters, the Brother Cadfael books are set in the 1100s during the Civil War between the supporters of Stephen and Matilda, rivals for the throne. The Civil War provides an excellent backdrop for the series, as does the Benedictine abbey at Shrewsbury.
A well-rounded character, Cadfael – which is Welsh for ‘battle prince’ – was a soldier and crusader, but when the series begins, we find him at the abbey of St Paul and St Peter, content to tend his herb garden. Cadfael’s knowledge of herbal medicines is brought into play throughout the series and this knowledge often leads to the unmasking of the villain.
Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters’ medieval mysteries are rich in character, not least Cadfael himself, who is a man of justice, compassion and resilience. Throughout the series, Cadfael is assisted by Deputy Sheriff Hugh Beringar, a practical man who has to balance the search for truth and justice against the political machinations of the Civil War. A number of colourful characters from the abbey also appear frequently, including the sanctimonious Prior Robert and the obnoxious Brother Jerome.
The Cadfael books were adapted for television in the 1990s with a film set of polystyrene and wood constructed in Hungary. The set stood for five years during the filming of thirteen of the original twenty books. Derek Jacobi memorably portrayed Cadfael with Michael Culver, Julian Firth and Peter Copley in supporting roles. The one weakness of the television series was the constantly changing face of Hugh Beringar, who was portrayed by three different actors. The television series, like the books, was a great success, though unfortunately high production costs brought the series to a close before all twenty books could be filmed.
Ellis Peters was the pen name of Edith Pargeter (1913 – 95) and, a prolific author, she wrote around ninety books. She wrote her first book, Hortensius, Friend of Nero, in 1936 and, in the 1960s, a popular series of books featuring Inspector Felse and his family. The Inspector Felse books, like all the best crime fiction, offer a window on society and explore family life, from a policeman’s perspective, in the 1960s.
During World War Two, Edith Pargeter served in the Women’s Royal Navy Service and was awarded the British Empire Medal. A lover of Czechoslovakia, she also translated many books from the Czech language. However, she will be best remembered for her classic Cadfael novels.
My Books are published by Goylake Publishing, an independent publisher, and I am grateful for that. I am grateful because Goylake offer me free rein to write about the subjects that interest me, to a length that suits the story and because they do not interfere in the creative process. I am free to write, to follow my muse, and that is very liberating.
Of course, as well as supporting creative talent, Goylake Publishing is also in the business of running a successful business, and this part of the publishing process has been an eye-opener for me. As a starting point you would think that author and publisher would want to sell as many books as possible through the large, well-known Internet and store outlets. WRONG! I say that because these outlets take around 55 – 60% of the cover price, leaving the author and independent publisher with pennies. Every time someone buys one of my books from a large international website, for which I’m grateful, that international company makes a profit, Goylake doesn’t, and neither do I. Independent outlets, websites like this one and a loyal fan base are the routes to our success.
When I approached a well-known and well-established publisher with an early manuscript I was delighted when they said ‘yes’ they would publish. However, there was a catch..they wanted me to pay them £5,000 (!) Naturally, I withdrew my manuscript and declined their offer. No one should pay that sort of money to any publisher, no matter what their reputation. Books do cost money to produce, but not £5,000 from the author’s purse.
As many people have pointed out, modern big business publishing is all about the ‘bestseller’ regardless of the book’s content or literary merit. If someone has a marketable name, they will be published, whether they have an interesting story to tell, or not. These books are promoted relentlessly at the expense of many other, often far more interesting, books. From a financial point of view, this is easy to understand – it is far simpler to promote one book and sell ten copies than promote ten books selling a copy apiece. The relentless marketing of ‘bestsellers’ means that people will buy them, often as fashion accessories – the latest bestseller is a ‘must have’ item, even if the book sits, unread, on a bookshelf.
So, whenever you get the opportunity, please support the independent author and publisher. Quite often, these people have far more interesting things to say than the mainstream #!¥¡@ that is pushed our way. A good book, when you find one, is priceless, like a good friend. And friendship, like anything rewarding, takes effort. So why not make that extra effort and, instead of following the crowd, follow your instincts and search out a good, independent, book. You, and the author, will be rewarded.
Hannah Howe