Michael J Malone's Writing Toolkit

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for House of Spines by Michael J Malone. Michael is taking part in my new blog feature, sharing his essential writing toolkit. House of Spines was published by Orenda Books on 15 September 2017.

I am delighted to welcome 

MICHAEL J MALONE

AUTHOR OF HOUSE OF SPINES

TO SHARE HIS WRITING TOOLKIT

Background TV
When I moved in to my current home the floored attic space was a big draw. The plan was to get a nice desk, line the walls with bookcases – and have a comfy armchair for writing breaks, or for reading my research. It would be quiet and peaceful and without distractions. I did all that, but I’ve never actually written there, Instead, I write at my dining room table with the telly on in the background.

Laptop stand
That initially caused me neck and shoulder pain. Not sure why. A combination of the table height and my chair perhaps. A quick question to my friends on Facebook and someone recommended a stand for my laptop to lift the top of the screen to eye level. This necessitated a free sitting keyboard and mouse (you try typing into a laptop keyboard that’s sitting at an angle.) From the very first writing session, the pain vanished.

Coffee
Coffee is a must, to get me going in the morning. I use an espresso pot and it has to be my favourite thing in the house.

YouTube
It turns out I need some noise in the background while I’m writing. Hence the neglect of my noise- free zone in the attic. I’ll either have the TV on a low volume – without choosing any programme in particular. Or I bring up YouTube and select a musical backdrop. The last one I worked to was a two hour long selection of Mozart. Apparently listening to him increases your I.Q. I have no idea if it worked or not. My son gave me a strange look when I told him why I had chosen that. As if to say, yeah, right.

Notebooks
I use a notebook for each book I’m writing. I’ll take notes for research purposes and also jot down ideas for plot and character development as they occur. I can’t be arsed with the time it takes to set up any writing apps  – some writers swear by them – but I do need to keep track of the book as I write. So, I write up a very short breakdown of each chapter as I finish it, which means it’s less likely that I forget what the hell I’m banging on about.

Gym (& paper towel & pen)
I need to exercise to help keep me sane, so I always make sure I take a break to hit the gym. And often that break works well to help me winkle out plot problems as I often come up with solutions while sweating over a piece of exercise equipment. Cue me tearing off a piece of paper towel and borrowing a pen from a passing gym instructor.

WiFi
A famous author said (I’m paraphrasing) that no writer could work with a functional WIFI signal. Don’t you love a generalisation? It’s crucial for me. A quick search on Google – other search engines are available – often gets me out of a bind. I also take regular breaks online. A quick scan of FB or twitter – it’s like I need to temporarily connect with the world beyond my writing space - and I’m good to go again.

Huel
Despite my willingness to allow a social media distraction, I can’t be doing with the disruption of having to make myself a meal when I’m in the zone. So I found this stuff called Huel. Perfect nutrition apparently. I just add a few scoops to 500ml of water with some frozen fruit and Bob’s your whatsit.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, MICHAEL!

About Michael J Malone

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In- Residence for an adult gift shop. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call (a non-fiction work about successful modern-day Scots); A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage and The Bad Samaritan. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number one bestseller. Michael is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.

Find Michael on his website and on Twitter - @MichaelJMalone

About House of Spines

Published by Orenda Books (15 September 2017)

Publisher's description
Ran McGhie's world has been turned upside down. A young, lonely and frustrated writer, and suffering from mental-health problems, he discovers that his long-dead mother was related to one of Glasgow's oldest merchant families. Not only that, but Ran has inherited Newton Hall, a vast mansion that belonged to his great-uncle, who it seems has been watching from afar as his estranged great-nephew has grown up. Entering his new-found home, it seems Great-Uncle Fitzpatrick has turned it into a temple to the written word - the perfect place for poet Ran. But everything is not as it seems. As he explores the Hall's endless corridors, Ran's grasp on reality appears to be loosening. And then he comes across an ancient lift; and in that lift a mirror. And in the mirror... the reflection of a woman...

Here's a snippet of my review
In House of Spines, I felt like I was living the story with Ran - seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. The pictures the author paints within his prose, of the smells, sounds and sights of old Newton Hall, are as chilling and disturbing as the story itself.

To read the rest of my review of House of Spines, click here.

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Louise Beech's Writing Toolkit

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech. Louise is taking part in my new blog feature, sharing her essential writing toolkit. Maria in the Moon is being published by Orenda Books on 30 September 2017.

I am delighted to welcome 

LOUISE BEECH

AUTHOR OF MARIA IN THE MOON

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

An early hour

Yes, I am insane. I work best earlier on rather than later in the day. Many writers I know do it late into the night. That’s not for me. Aside from the fact that I work evenings in a theatre, my brain is mush once you get me past about six pm. I get up at about seven am, even if I’ve worked late the night before, and am at my desk by eight am. This is when my ideas and thoughts are the freshest. I’m usually good until about three pm (with lunch and a walk or work-out in between).

Tidiness

I am totally OCD. I cannot work in chaos. My head is a complete mess most of the time, so I need my surroundings to be spotless and in order. I’m the first to admit that I need serious help. But when my environment is immaculate I feel I can go wild and let rip with the words. Makes no sense, but it’s true. Don’t tell anyone, but I can’t go to bed and leave messy cushions. There I’ve said it. Come and cart me away.

Music

Oh, I need that music. It inspires me. Certain songs get me in a certain mood. There are entire albums that remind me now of the time I wrote particular novels. I’ll listen to just about anything. At the moment I’m loving everything by The Weeknd. His gritty, dark lyrics match the mood of novel five at times.

Swearwords

I’m terrible for swearing. I’m not a very good typist (two fingers, one from each hand, haha) and so there’s quite a bit of cursing when my brain goes faster than my hands can! Sometimes, if I forget someone else is on the house, they come downstairs to ask who the heck I’m shouting at. So perhaps solitude should be another essential, though it’s not likely to ever happen...

My desk

I only write ‘properly’ at my desk. I scribble notes on physical bits of paper while out and about, which I then import into my work. Now that I travel a lot more with my writing, and all the events, I’m thinking of investing in a laptop. But until then, my computer and my desk is the place I am for writing.

Tissues

I often cry when writing. I do - I’m a big, fat wuss! If I’m writing an emotional scene, I feel every part of it. Just as if I write a funny scene, I tend to laugh out loud. These are even more reasons why no one should be near me when I write. It really isn’t pretty. I’m an OCD tidy, sweary, sobby mess.

Exercise

When sitting to write for long periods you can end up with your mind going in circles. So I usually take an hour out mid-write to either go fo a long hike or do a work-out at home. Boxercise is great! You find that the ideas flood in when you’re physical! Plus there is of course the danger of eating too much while sitting and I need to try and compensate for that. Of this I am also guilty. Especially with Twirls... and chochip cookies... and lattes... and... oh, I’d best stop now...

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, LOUISE!

About Louise Beech

Louise Beech is an exceptional literary talent, whose debut novel How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Choice for 2015. The sequel, The Mountain in My Shoe was shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize. Both books have been number one on Kindle, Audible and Kobo in USA/UK/AU. She regularly writes travel pieces for the Hull Daily Mail, where she was a columnist for ten years. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull – the UK’s 2017 City of Culture – and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. She is also part of the Mums’ Army on Lizzie and Carl’s BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show.

Find Louise on her website and on Twitter - @LouiseWriter

About Maria in the Moon

Published by Orenda Books (30 September 2017)

Publisher's description

Long ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can't.' Thirty-two-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria. With a promiscuous past, and licking her wounds after a painful breakup, Catherine wonders why she resists anything approaching real love. But when she loses her home to the devastating deluge of 2007 and volunteers at Flood Crisis, a devastating memory emerges ... and changes everything. Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide...

Here's a snippet of my review
Maria in the Moon is yet another stunner from Louise Beech... The writing is simply stunning, so vivid and descriptive that it takes you right into the heart of the story and into the lives of her diverse, larger-than-life and highly realistic characters. I couldn't help but be transported into Hull at a time of crisis.

To read the rest of my review of Maria in the Moon, click here.

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