The Z Files: Heather Burnside ~ Virgo

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to write a piece about how typical they are of their sign, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet?  Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :)

Okay, everyone mind your Ps and Qs...it's another Virgo, gritty northern crime writer Heather Burnside!!  Heather's two Manchester based crime novels are steaming up the Amazon chart, and she is is happy to offer her multi-genre short story collection, Crime, Conflict and Consquences, free ~ please click HERE if you're interested. 

Heather's piece is another one of those that says so much about her sign that it's just one big celebration of Virgo ~ let her tell you all about her sixth sign self

"I think the way in which I approached this article says a lot about whether I am a typical Virgo. I asked Terry for some pointers on Virgo characteristics and copied these down along with some information I gleaned from the Internet. I then highlighted those characteristics that I identified in myself, and which I believed influenced the way I work. There were a few words that cropped up repeatedly, and I recognised these all too well. 

A bit of a methodical approach, you might say. Perhaps a bit too meticulous and pedantic, bordering on the anally-retentive, in fact. Yes, that’s me; I’m definitely a typical Virgo so the following words also apply:

Exacting, organised, worrier, overcritical, indecisive, obsessive, compulsive, mentally astute, perfectionist and reserved."

"But before I send you running for the hills at my description of a neurotic bore, I should add that I also have a great sense of humour, which I sometimes incorporate into my writing. Other positives are that I’m loyal, loving, kind, helpful and reliable." 

So how does all of this affect my writing life? 

It can have its advantages but it can drive me to distraction as well. I’m incredibly organised so I have lists for everything – character lists, lists of place names for each novel, To Do lists, marketing lists etc. The pluses are that it helps me to keep track of everything. I also find character lists and lists of place names invaluable for ensuring consistency, especially with a trilogy. On the negative side, because I’m self-critical and obsess about things, I am always thinking there is something I have left out.  

I draw up an outline for each novel, which acts like a framework that I build onto. Despite my exacting nature, I’m not totally inflexible and my compulsions mean that I often get an idea for a scene much later on in the novel. It’s usually something that’s really impactful, and I know that I have to write it as soon as possible before it becomes diluted. Because I’ve kept a detailed outline, I can write out of sequence without losing track of where I’m up to."

"As regards book promotion, I’m reserved so I find promotion the hardest thing of all. I hate pushing myself on people and am constantly preoccupied that I’m not doing enough to sell my books. As I’m loyal I always try to support other authors and bloggers who I’ve befriended."

Yes, yes, I had to stop myself doing the whole thing in bold, a bit like I did with another lady of this sign HERE! ~ you agree about the ultra-Virgo-ness, I am sure!  If you would like to know more about Heather's books, you can read about them HERE, and also follow her on Twitter.

I must admit, it's getting a bit hard to find suitable famous writers according to sign, so, although she has nothing to do with the sort of books Heather writes, I've chosen one of my all time favourite historical novelists, simply because I can't do this whole series without giving her a mention....

....the late and wonderful Norah Lofts ~ if you haven't read The Wayside Tavern 

and The House At Old Vine trilogy, your life is not complete :)

and a crime novelist of a different Virgo kind ~ Agatha Christie!

Previous Posts:

Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Julia Proofreader

Leo: Rose Edmunds, Anne Goodwin, Alex Johnson,

Aries: Joanne Phillips, Trisha Ashley, Cynthia Harrison

Gemini: Haydn Lee, Norah Colvin, Jerome Dumont, John Privilege, Shelley Wilson,

Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black

Aquarius: Lynda Renham, Cathy Ryan,

Capricorn: Georgia Rose, Wendy Janes, Annie Lyons, Steffany R

Sagittarius: Jan Ruth, Adrienne Vaughan, Rachel Amphlett, Wendy J Lennox, Katrina Mountfort,

Cancer: Emma Gray, June Kearns, Sarah Boucher, Katie Oliver, Mark Barry

Virgo: Louise Marley, Elizabeth Ducie, Barb Taub,

Pisces: Lizzie Lamb, Julie Haiselden, Maria Savva, Sacha Black,

Scorpio: Judith Barrow Gen Gannon, Stacey Garrity, Gemma Lawrence, Robert Leigh, Catherine Hokin, Jenny Twist,

Taurus: Valerie-Anne Baglietto, Val Poore,

Libra: Marcia Carrington Tom Hocknell, Jen Ammoscato, Joanne B

The Z Files: Robert Leigh ~ Scorpio

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to tell me how typical of their star sign they are, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet?  Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :) 

Lots of people go 'ooh...!' when someone reveals that they're a Scorpio:) Those who know about such things might give the Scorpion a suggestive wink, or instantly put up their guard... certainly some characters in the terrific Retribution Trilogy by Robert Leigh need to watch their step.  Robert's an excellent writer, I've read the first two of this trilogy (they're both stand alones, no connection to each other at all) and very much look forward to the third ~ you can read my reviews of Any Man Joe and Kill Line HERE (contains Amazon links), and also his other publication, about the coffee trade in Ethiopia.  The Z Files is not essentially about book promo, but I could rave for the North East about Any Man Joe, in particular.

Hello, Robert, and welcome to The Z Files ~ please tell us about your Scorpio self!

Scorpio:

Sensual, intense, deep thinking, loyal, philosophical... but can also be cruel, dogmatic, possessive, jealous.

"Having now read over these traits for the seventh time, and considered them for a week, I would say yes, I am probably an intense thinker who has a habit of getting a little lost in deep thought. Philosophical thinking gets in the way of self-promotion. I can’t bear people trying to sell me things, so I find myself blocked by the ‘do unto others’ dogma. I really need to have a word with myself about that. 

I don’t think I’m a cruel person, but I will openly admit to cruelty to characters. I hope I never have the Breakfast of Champions moment, when my characters appear and say, ‘Rob, seriously, what the f&%k…?’  I don’t think I have created a possessive character yet, but I am certainly possessive of them – even the bad ones. I suppose I just want them to be happy." 

"Loyalty doesn’t seem to mean a lot these days, and I’ve noticed that its very concept is deemed scoff-worthy by many. So maybe loyalty between people is fading, but I think writers have to be loyal to the work. It’s the only way it ever gets done…. And there we see my dogmatic streak. 

Sensual I will leave for now in the hope that life throws me enough experiences down the line so I can explore the topic more fully at a later date.

Jealousy – oh dear, yes, in my youth, I was a horribly jealous person - particularly when it came to the successes of others. I’ve found myself less green-eyed as I’ve become older. It’s definitely a subject I’d like to write about in the future."

"Intensity – God yes. I bloody love it. The more intense the better. Much like anger, I see it as fuel. As a project runs onto the home straight, the intensity builds to a point where I shut everything else out. My girlfriend, family, friends – none of them get a look-in. I zone out completely, nothing but pages and keyboards. The only colours I see are the bright fluorescents of highlighter pens. It’s addictive – or at least it is to me.  I’ll admit it’s probably not healthy."

That was all fairly Scorpion, I think you'll agree ... Thanks Robert; you can follow him on Twitter where you'll see another black and white photo of him with his eyes hidden (how Scorpio is that!), and you can take a look at his three books on Amazon via the link in the introductory paragraph.

I chose two ostensibly very different Scorpio writers, though maybe they have a few things in common (and with Robert, maybe...).

.... first, the man whose work explores human psychology in the troubled 

atmosphere of 19th-century Russia ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

.. and music/media journalist unafraid of airing his opinions, 

who also writes novels about 'new men' ~ Tony Parsons

 

Up Next:  An exceedingly helpful Virgo!

Previous Posts:

Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Julia Proofreader

Leo: Anne Goodwin, Alex Johnson

Aries: Cynthia Harrison

Gemini: John Privilege, Shelley Wilson,

Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black

Aquarius: Cathy Ryan, Lynda Renham

Sagittarius: Rachel Amphlett, Wendy J Lennox, Katrina Mountfort,

Cancer: Katie Oliver, Mark Barry

Virgo: Elizabeth Ducie, Barb Taub,

Pisces: Maria Savva, Sacha Black

Scorpio:Catherine Hokin, Jenny Twist,

Taurus: Valerie Poore

Libra: Joanne B

The Z Files: Mark Barry ~ Cancer

Welcome to The Z Files, in which writers show how the characteristics of their star sign influence their work; contributors were invited to treat the subject as seriously, cynically or lightly as they like.  You can find links to other posts at the end of this one.

Daring to sidle out from underneath his protective Cancer shell and expose himself (!) to my blog readers, here's Mark Barry :)  Mark is, in my opinion, one of the best 'indie' authors out there.  I've read four of his books (at the time of writing); you can read my reviews of them HERE  (ps, they're all 99p/99c until October, I thought I'd just slip that in!). Under his Green Wizard guise, he also does author interviews with a difference... more later!

Tell us about your semi-Cancerian self, Mark...  

Mark on the left, his son on the right.

"An old boss of mine was a part time tarot reader and astrologist and, thus, I picked up a ton from her about astrology without ever fully assimilating its doctrine. 

I’m ostensibly a Cancer, born June 23^rd. This nearly makes me a Gemini and therein lies, of course, the contradiction. If I had taken aboard the teachings of the starry tablets of stone, I would be scared. Here’s why.

Cancers are by nature crabs. Diamond hard on the outside and soft as melted butter on the inside. Once you penetrate the shell, a Cancer is yours, but breaking through it isn’t easy."

The Cancerian moon smiles warily at the twins...

"Yet, Geminis are the opposite. Assess the negatives and weep. Shallow, scheming, feckless, duplicitous, slutty, unrealistic, boastful, Janus-faced, bi-polar – the playful twins offer a disorienting contrast to the stolid, dependable, loyal, faithful, honest, depression-prone crab. 
According to my old boss this combo was always going to make my life very difficult.   One half of me wants to party like it's 1999 and the other half of me wants to lock the doors and tell everyone to, er, go away.  That’s me in a nutshell. Trapped in a circadian parabola oscillating from manic party animal to despairing recluse almost by the day."

...okay, then, have your own sign!

 
"Potential partners? If you’re an Aries, your zodiacmates have already mashed my swede in twice, so keep me in the friendzone thank you very much, but if you’re a Pisces, a Scorpio or a Capricorn, we tend to get on alright. I also blend with other Cancers but, as you can imagine, that is a mind-blowingly intense combination – and no apologies for the adverb; it’s appropriate."

"My writing? Cancers suffer in a private hell of their own making and Geminis are the ultimate dancing communicators so what else can a man afflicted by both do but write or teach? 

Do I believe in this stuff? I’ll leave that to you to work out :-D"

Actually, Marky Mark, I have to tell you that up and down moods are also very much a feature of moon ruled Cancer...  if you would like to know more about the Green Wizard's cauldron, you can give it a stir HERE and follow Mark on Twitter; you won't recognise him, by the way, as he changes his profile picture on a weekly basis, and it's rarely him.  He may think this is the mercurial, changing face of Gemini; I think it's the hideaway Cancerian :)

Would Mark like to share a beer with these two fellow crabs ~ under their respective carapaces, perhaps?

A chap who knew a thing or two about human nature... George Orwell..

...and the original gonzo journalist, who was known to have 

an up and down mood or two, himself... Hunter S Thompson :)

Up next ~ An amusingly analytical Virgo, followed by a decidedly off-beat Aquarius!

Previous Posts:
Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Proofreader Julia
Leo: Anne Goodwin,
Gemini: Shelley Wilson
Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black
Sagittarius: Katrina Mountfort

The Z (Zodiac!) Files: Nicky Black ~ Aquarius and Capricorn

Welcome to my new feature The Z Files, in which writers show how the characteristics of their star sign influence their work... I gave the instruction to treat the subject as seriously (or not seriously) as they liked!
Links to previous posts are listed at the end.

Why Aye, today it's a canny pair of bonny lasses from up The Toon... er, sorry about that.  Ahem!  I'm delighted to introduce Julie and Nicky, who together make up the writing team Nicky Black.  I got in touch with Nicky after reading their gritty Geordie drama The Prodigal which I enjoyed very much; you can see my review HERE with links to both Amazon sites.

 Julie blonde and Nicky black!

Okay, so Nicky is Capricorn and Julie is Aquarius....

...how has this combination affected their working relationship, and how did The Prodigal come about?  This piece is the longest I've received, by far,  (partly because there are two of them, of course!), but I've only chopped it down a little bit because it's most interesting :) 

Nicky: "Since there are two of us in Nicky Black it makes it a little less straight forward as you can imagine, but it really made me think about how much Julie and I have in common, how much we don’t and how that makes us a brilliant team.  Also, when I look at the list of Capricornian traits, I wonder why I have any friends at all...:)."

(Note: that's only the bad ones...

...let's look at it more positively!)

"I think as writers and friends, we share some of the characteristics of both star signs, but we are clearly individuals."

"I met Julie when I was about 28 and she was in her early 40s (I’m 47 now, but don’t tell anyone...).  She was, indeed friendly but chose her friends with care and certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly.  She was a community worker, and her humanitarian and unprejudiced empathy with people living in riot-torn estates was clear to see. I’d known her for several months before she casually told me over a cup of tea that she’d written a movie, as if she were buttering bread for sandwiches. The screenplay was called ‘Heads’, and I asked if I could read it. I read it and I loved it.

In awe of this amazing writer, and being a determined and ambitious Capricorn, I took up her challenge to work with her to get the movie made. She knew I was a hard worker, meticulously organised and not in the least ‘arty-farty’.  In 1998 we set up Hard Place Productions (based on a Fringe play Julie had written and directed called Between and Rock and a Hard Place).  

We can both be self centred, and are both most definitely independent.  We both gave up our jobs (okay, that’s batty) to try something new.  In the end, ‘Heads’ didn’t make it, but my goodness we had some laughs. "

"I began to edit Julie’s work.  She liked my ruthless ‘red pen’ and honesty.  And in 1999, she shoved a writing competition in my face and said, ‘you could do that, Nicky.’ I dismissed it pessimistically and though I was thoroughly sceptical about the whole charade, I came second in the competition.  And that’s how it all started. I wrote some short pieces for the Live Theatre and started taking being a writer more seriously, but never thought I could make a living out of it, so a hobby it remained.

Julie began writing for Hollyoaks and Casualty, but her ambition was always to be original and produce her own work.  The Prodigal was commissioned by Granada in 2001.  She would write ten pages, and I would read and edit.

Sadly, again, time moved on, ITV regions ended and the producer moved on to other things. The Prodigal gathered dust. Julie, stubborn to the core when she wants to be, refused to let the option run on and on and bought it back from ITV with a view to selling it to independent producers." 

"By 2006, never satisfied with my income, I’d moved to London for my day job and I forgot about writing all together.  Then about 5 years ago, my career going really well, director of a company, I sensed that typical Capricornian depression descending.  I needed something to do that would make me proud. 

 

Julie, too, was feeling a little down.  The Prodigal was going nowhere, another rejection.  ‘Why don’t I try writing it as a book?’ I asked.  I took the Prodigal by the (Capricorn!) horns and started editing - locked away, solitary for hours and days at a time.

So what’s next?  Well, I mentioned ‘Heads’ earlier.  It’s set on Valley Park in the rave era of 1989.  That’s all I’m saying for now, other than it certainly demonstrates the youthful outlook of a pair of old birds."

I am very much looking forward to Heads!  If you'd like to keep up with Nicky and Julie, you can follow Nicky on Twitter.

.... and I've chosen these writers of some reknown as typical examples of the two signs....

Cynical Capricorn, Douglas Kennedy (one of my favourites) ~ 

many of his characters embrace long periods of solitude....

... and independent and forward thinking Aquarian, indeed: Virginia Woolf

Up next, a Sagittarian lady with a few strings to her bow, followed by a sceptical Leo!

Previous posts:
Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Julia Proofreader
Gemini: Shelley Wilson

I become a born-again BOOKWORM!

While I was doing the final editing for my most recent novel, Last Child, I made a decision.  I would not write in December.  The two novels and one novella I am gagging to write can wait until the new year.

This decision was partly provoked by the general lack of housework done recently (when you've been saying "I must give that kitchen a real thorough clean" for two months, you know you really must), the amount of times I'd told my husband I would do a,b and c "as soon as I've sent Last Child off for proofreading", but mostly because of my 'to read' list, which now covers two sheets of A4.  

So, on November 23rd, I officially became an Avid Reader!  I read a book, I review it straight away while it's still in my head, and move on to the next. You know what?  I'm loving it.  I haven't given myself all this reading time for years, not since I started writing again in 2010, after a break of (too long), and it's great.  No more do I think, "yes, I could read a bit of that book I've had on the go for three weeks, or I could edit Chapter Nine."  I'd usually go with the latter. Now, my business of the day has become reading.

In the last three weeks I have read no less than twelve books.  Well, twelve and a half, actually; as soon as I have written this post I shall go back to KILLING INSTINCT by Darcia Helle, which is bloody terrific - it's a murder/thriller type thing about two hit men who uncover an organisation that facilitates its clients most depraved fantasies.  I bought the book ages ago because I read about it in one of those '50 indie books worth reading' posts. If I hadn't taken this month off, I might never have got round to finding out how good it is. Incidentally, clicking on the title of each book I've mentioned will take you to its Amazon UK page.  That's the title, not the book cover!  

I've read some I knew would be terrific - HONOUR AND OBEY by Carol Hedges, for instance, the Victorian murder mystery follow up to Diamonds and Dust, which I thought was excellent, and the sequel is even better.  Then there's another chapter in the life of Val Poore, AFRICAN WAYS, about the three years in the 1980s when she and her family lived up a mountain in South Africa.  I've read Val's books about life on the waterways of Holland, so I knew I would love this too.  My favourite genre overall is historical fiction; the first book of my readathon (!!) was the 17th century THE GILDED LILY by Deborah Swift, which I liked so much I bought another book by her straight away.

I always read on my Nexus, on which I have the Kindle App.  I've come to appreciate this thing more and more, and actually prefer it to paperbacks. I love how I can just finish one and select the next. Yes, I've abandoned some, but I've made myself a vow to read to at least 10% before I decide if a book's not for me.  If I can't give a good 3* I won't review, simply because I won't have read the book.  So far I've only abandoned four, one of which I may give another go, because sometimes you can just be in the wrong mood for a certain type of book.

I've surprised myself by discovering genres I didn't think I'd like.  Fantasy? Magic? I always thought I began and ended with Game of Thrones.  But combine it with history and you have the excellent COURT OF CONSPIRACY by April Taylor.  I'm promising myself the next one in the series soon!

Other books I've given a well deserved 4* to are:

PATTERN OF SHADOWS by Judith Barrow (WW2 family drama)
BECOMING BEAUTY by Sarah Boucher (fairytale retelling)
LUKE'S #1 RULE by Cynthia Harrison (family drama/addiction)
MADE IN NASHVILLE by Mandy Baggot (country music scene romance)
SHEER FEAR by Geoff West (crime/child abuse cover up)

But now I must tell you about my Big Discovery!  
Which is Dylan Morgan.  You know how great it is when you find a new writer and think, I am going to love everything this person produces? Dylan writes horror, but not overly blood and gore stuff, more like Stephen King, including the totally brilliant THE DEAD LANDS ~ a post apocalyptic thriller.  

I didn't even know I liked this sort of book until I read it.  I loved it so much I keep boring people with how good it is, and straight after I'd read it I bought another of his, FLESH, abandoned my reading list and got stuck in straight away - it was just as good!  I'll be reading his whole catalogue before too long, including the vampire ones - she says tentatively... vampires stories are usually down in the 'genres I only read if I really must', like chick lit and comedy sci-fi.  I bet I'll still like it, though.  I won't rave on about Mr Morgan any more, though, in case I embarrass him - I'll just advise you to read my reviews of the books on the Amazon pages, and BUY one!

At the end of the year I'm going to do a Top 20 rundown of my favourite books of the year - now I'd better get stuck in, as I am determined to read at least eight more.

More anon!