My Husband’s Wife – Jane Corry : Author Guest Post & Giveaway

My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry

Published by Penguin

ebook – 26 May 2016  :  Paperback 25 August 2016

I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for My Husband’s Wife. I’m currently reading this and whilst I had intended to have a review alongside this guest post, I haven’t quite finished it.  I am very much enjoying it though and my review will appear shortly.  In the meantime I have a guest post from the author on tips and habits of a writer, which I hope you enjoy.  There is also a giveaway for a new paperback proof copy (details at the end of this post).

TIPS AND HABITS OF A WRITER 

Jane Corry 

‘Please don’t come in,’ I said this morning to my husband when he opened the study door.

No. I wasn’t hiding anything. Or making any secret phone calls. The fact is that like many writers, I cannot cope with any interruption . Even a quick phone call can stop the flow and take away the idea which was about to hit the page.

And that’s one of my first tips. If you can, find a place to write which will give you privacy. It might be a regular seat in the library or even a park bench. I have a friend who writes in his allotment shed. And another who writes in her beach hut. Although I’m lucky enough to have a study, I also write a great deal on the train. The most important thing is to have some quiet time to yourself so you can concentrate.

Personally, I far prefer to write on the keyboard rather than with pen and paper. That’s because I trained as a journalist and am so used to typing that nothing else will do. This leads to another tip. Always back up your work either on a memory stick or by sending it as an attachment to your own email address. This way, if something awful happened, you should be able to retrieve it from any other computer.

Perhaps because of my journalist background, my fiction is usually based on something that I know. ‘My Husband’s Wife’ for example, was inspired both by my time as a writer in residence of a high security prison and also by my remarriage. So another important tip which I’d like to pass on, is to write about what you know. Or about what you’re fascinated by. This might take some research but it’s amazing how a fact or figure or a chance comment during this homework’ can really help with the plot. For example, I discovered that it is perfectly possible for a lawyer to be alone with a criminal in prison. This played its part in my novel!

When I’m writing a book, I always aim for 2000 to 3000 words a day. This keeps the story alive in my head. I write in the morning when I’m fresh and then read it back in the afternoon. It might take me 4 to 5 months to complete a first draft but then I will revise the novel several times. I will check it for plot consistency; realistic characterisation; dialogue that sounds right and pushes the story along; setting and also viewpoint. In other words, which of the characters is telling the story? I then read the novel out loud from the printed page rather than the screen. It’s amazing how much more you can pick up that way.

Often I use a picture board when I will cut out pics from magazines that remind me of my characters. This can really help when describing my hero or heroine. Not to mention the baddies!

To keep the pace going, I make sure that every character has a problem to solve. Without a problem, there is no story ! I also end each chapter with a cliffhanger. In other words, I try to create a tense situation that makes the reader rush onto the next chapter in order to see what happens.

Finally it’s very important for a writer to read. I tend to avoid other novels in my genre because I want to concentrate on my own story. But I always have a book on the go and usually read a chapter every night. Just as an actor needs to go to the cinema to see how others do it, so do writers need to read other people’s works.

For me, the pleasure of writing is that first draft when the story is taking shape. I see it as beginning with a lump of clay that needs to be moulded and twisted over and over again until you feel you’ve done your very best. Good luck with your own writing. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy ‘My Husband’s Wife’.

About the book:

FIRST COMES LOVE. THEN COMES MARRIAGE. THEN COMES MURDER…

‘A blockbuster of a psychological thriller. My head’s still spinning from all the twists!’ Mark Edwards

‘This thrilling page-turner kept me guessing till the very end’ Katerina Diamond, bestselling author of THE TEACHER

When lawyer Lily marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind.

But then she meets Joe. A convicted murderer who reminds Lily of someone she once knew, and who she becomes obsessed with freeing.

But is he really innocent?

And who is she to judge?

Perfect for readers of Liane Moriarty, C. L. Taylor and Clare Mackintosh, get hooked on the story that everyone’s talking about.

GIVEAWAY

I have a duplicate copy to give away.  To win a new paperback uncorrected proof copy of My Husband’s Wife, just leave a comment on this post (please make sure that you let me know how I can contact you if you win, a Twitter name would be fine). The giveaway is open until midnight on Sunday 22 May 2016 and I will pick a winner at random on Monday 23rd.  Sorry, but for postage costs, I can only post to the UK. Good luck!