I’ve enjoyed my two month sabbatical but now I’m back with a host of events planned. Between now and Christmas, my books and I will be at a dozen or so Oxfordshire events – literary festivals, books fairs and Christmas fairs – including at Wolvercote, Steventon, Kennington, Oxford, Didcot, Harwell, Faringdon and Abingdon. Thanks to the amazing Oxford Independent Authors for organising this tremendous effort. Keep an eye out for further information from OxIA and please do come along to meet authors, listen to talks and, of course, buy books. Books make the best Christmas presents in my view!
Talking of books, I was thrilled to discover that Note to Boy is now, thanks to the efforts of Colin Wade and the 1in200 initiative, on sale in the excellent Mostly Books in Abingdon (pictured below) and splendidoIl Botanico in Headington, Oxford. Please do pop in and say hello. Independent booksellers like these are to be cherished.
In further news, I’ve sent But Mostly Mabel off to the publisher, SRL Publishing, and await further news with bated breath.
Apologies. I’ve been remiss. It’s been a while since I posted an update on what I’ve been up to. Here’s a quick rundown.
At December’s excellent and very successful Oxford Indie Book Fair I had the pleasure of meeting Colin Wade, Steve Lunn and others of Oxford Independent Authors (OxIA), a newly formed group focused on marketing, promoting and raising the profiles of writers in the Oxford area. Their enthusiasm convinced me to throw in my lot with this merry band of active writers.
In May I attended my first OxIA event, HeadLitFest in Headington, Oxford. Both the weather and the mood were sunny, and the lemon drizzle cake some of the best I’ve tasted. There I bumped into some familiar faces: the authors Peter Tickler and Steve Sheppard; as well as meeting other OxIA members for the first time. I was out again with OxIA for the Risinghurst Fete in June, spending an enjoyable day talking about and selling books, eating yet more cake and soaking up the village atmosphere of a summer fair. I’ll attach a selection of pictures below.
It’s hard these days making your voice heard above the clamour of the big five publishers and their celebrity clients. Associations like OxIA, where writers join forces and pool their collective talents, help increase the volume of the noise we can make. All power to them! More profile-raising OxIA events are planned throughout the year.
Enough of the marketing! What about the books? A Novel Solution (published in June 2024, almost exactly a year ago. Happy Birthday ANS!) and Note to Boy (reissued this April) have been making their presence felt. Note to Boy was seen in Pimlico library in London, and A Novel Solution was featured in the Round & About magazine (see below).
What’s next? My third comedy, But Mostly Mabel, is nearing the final stages before submission to the publisher. This is a nail-shredding time for any writer. Will they like it? What edits will they ask for? Just generally, ‘Eeeek!’ I’ll keep you posted on how Mabel fares.
Finally, I’m taking a couple of months off over the summer months to recharge and rethink. Hope to be back again around September. Have a wonderful summer!
Eloise and Bradley are back. Hold onto your cameroons, Bradley and Eloise have returned, sporting a bright, new look.
Much to my delight, my humorous novel, Note to Boy, is being reissued today, 8 April. Note to Boy has been described as a ‘hilarious and uplifting page turner’ and its humour as ‘warm and knowing.’
The novel, which won a Pencraft award for humour, tells of the mayhem that follows when the worlds of a once-famous fashion guru and a downtrodden teenager collide.
All this has happened, thanks to my lovely publisher, SRL Publishing. So, look out for new-look Note to Boy wherever you buy your books.
Thursday, September 26th was an exciting day for me. Not only was I giving a library talk for the good folk of Abingdon about my latest book, A Novel Solution but, in a happy coincidence, it was the day my short story, We’ve Got Chemistry, was published in the latest Breakthrough Books anthology, Elemental.
There was a good turn-out for the library talk, perhaps due to a pause in the incessant rain, and the offer of a glass of wine to help things along. The audience was lively, listening and laughing in all the right places and, at the end, asking intriguing questions that got discussions going, and buying books. I really enjoyed myself, and hope they did too.
Big thanks to to Jessica and Sarah at Abingdon Library for inviting me and for making the evening run so smoothly.
I’ll post some pictures of the event at the end of this.
As I said, the anthology, Elemental, the third in the series by Breakthrough Books was published on Thursday this week. It features a collection of short stories by different authors, each giving their own take on the theme. Imaginative, ecclectic or amusing, there’s something for everyone here. My short story, We’ve Got Chemistry, imagines what it would be like to be a teenager going on a date with a young wizard. It conjures up a literary cauldron that mixes alchemy with particle physics in, I hope, an amusing fashion.
Elemental and A Novel Solution are both available from good bookshops and the usual places.
Researching for a book can be a wonderful productive time, or it can be a frustrating distraction from what you should really be doing – which of course is writing.
This is a short piece on the subject I wrote for the wonderfrul online literary magazine, Women Writers, Women’s Books.
My book launch has to be one of the hottest events of the year! With temperatures hitting 30C during the day, I wondered if anyone would turn up for the send-off of my latest book, A Novel Solution. I shouldn’t have worried, friends and family crowded into the picturesque Mostly Books bookshop in Abingdon to help me celebrate.
What happens at a book launch? Just about whatever the author wants to happen, I guess. And I wanted family, friends, fizz, the minimum of formalities and the maximum of cake. And I got my wishes!
Thanks to everyone who turned out on such a hot evening. Thank you especially to Sarah at Mostly Books who hosted the event and kept everything flowing smoothly. And thank you, everyone who has been with me during the creation and publication of A Novel Solution. As I said at the time, I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, everyone!
I’ll leave you with a selection of photographs to give you a flavour of the fun evening.
Well, the reviews of A Novel Solution are coming in … and I can breathe again.
You never know before you publish what readers are going to think of your book. Obviously you love it – otherwise you’re in the wrong business and should immediately retrain as a nail technician or a barista. But will they? Will they fall for your characters? Will they find the plot convincing? Will they like your writing style? And – to me, almost as important – will they get the jokes?
I’m happy to report that A Novel Solution (published in paperback on 11June by SRL Publishing) seems to have hit the spot. The reviews so far have been thrillingly positive. So I can cancel those job applications to Nailed It! and The Daily Grind… for the time being at least!
Big thanks to all those who took the time to review. Here’s a selection from their kind words (For the full reviews, see Amazon):
‘A delightful comedy fiction, this book follows Trish, a lovable mess, who meets Amanda a renowned author offering to mentor her. Masterfully written, hilarious and effortlessly engaging, it’s a brilliant story brimming with laughter and surprising twists.’ Amazon customer
‘Trish’s self-esteem is at rock bottom in A Novel Solution, Sue Clark’s witty, satirical second novel. Her husband is unfaithful, her adult daughters are selfish and her boss underrates her. When Trish finds herself alone and out of a job, she decides to repair her shattered confidence by writing a best-selling book. As she has no idea how to go about this, she signs up for individual writing lessons… Sue Clark uses clever writing techniques to emphasise her main character’s inner conflicts. Trish’s inner voice is personified as Ivy, who comments on and appraises her efforts to better herself. As well as being very funny, Ivy helps to explain why Trish sticks like glue to the arrogant Amanda… I also enjoyed Sue Clark’s beautifully written, relatable first novel Note to Boy. I heartily recommend both of her novels as pacy, entertaining reads which will make you giggle. To paraphrase Trish’s dream review – these are great books. Buy them!’ Loarn Paterson (www,patersonloarn.co.uk)
‘As soon as I started reading this, I was hooked… I really liked Trish, and felt so sorry for her as the secrets and bad luck kept on coming, but she did meet some good people along the way and never gave up. One of my favourites was Ivy, Trish’s inner voice that fills in any gaps that she leaves out whilst telling us the story. This was another fab book that was so well written that I couldn’t put it down. I’m definitely going to look out for more by this author for sure, and if you want a good, fun, emotional read then go read it.’ @candygirl73reads
‘I love a good cosy mystery and Sue for sure nailed this… I flew through this book within a few hours, which each chapter getting me more and more hooked. The mystery that ensues is fun to try and solve while reading and I was making new guesses with every page turn. The pacing is great and there’s never a moment where there’s a lull or you feel like you can look away. Overall a solid read that’s great for mystery lovers who like something a bit lighter and cosy.’ @titleswtyler
‘This was such a fun read. It’s a mix of mystery, British humour and thriller and it’s just full of quintessential English eccentrism. But it’s also a drama and a comedy, all the while remaining easy to read and thoroughly entertaining. My first read by Sue Clark, but judging by my enjoyment of this, certainly not my last. It’s genuine, real and hard to put down and I read this in two sittings. But it’s also a book of depth and emotion, with a main theme that women “of a certain age” may find it difficult to find their place in the world or might feel left behind.’ @fatguyreading
I was instantly drawn to this book when I read the blurb. It had everything that appealed to me. A coming of age / middle life crisis novel that I could relate to. I connected with Trish she was a real character that was just like me in so many ways… This was a good relaxed read that didn’t feel hard work and would be a welcome holiday companion. @mrsd271015
‘Sue Clark’s second book, A Novel Solution, demonstrates again what a witty, personable writer Clark is. The main character, Trish, is down on her luck but so relatable; even when bad things happen, you feel her pain and know that things have to get better, but how? That’s Clark’s skill as a storyteller. Every character is unique here, with quirks and believable flaws, no stereotypes.’ A B Kyazze
It’s here! Look out for A Novel Solution, my second comic fiction, out in paperback this very week, published by the lovely people at SRL Publishing.
What’s it about? It’s about Trish who is facing a midlife crisis, as her personal and professional lives fall apart. In a bid to grab back control, she decides to reinvent herself… as, of all things, a novelist.
Easy, right? Wrong! After a wobbly start, things seem to be looking up when the rookie writer hooks up with self-styled celebrity author Amanda, who agrees to mentor her. But everything is not as it seems in Amanda’s gloomy house in the woods…
Readers’ verdicts include:
‘Hugely enjoyable and entertaining.’
‘I had high hopes of this book … I was NOT disappointed.’
‘A cracker.’
There’s comedy, mystery, drama. There’s an atmospheric ochre pit. And there’s a stray kitten. What more could you ask for?
A Novel Solution is available all over the place, in bookshops and online.
And if by chance it’s not on the shelves of your favourite indie bookshop (mine is the excellent Mostly Books in Abingdon), please go in and order it. You’ll probably come out with several other books in your backpack, but that’s all to the good. And great timing, as next week (15-22June) is Independent Bookshop Week. Our friendly local booksellers are precious!
That Will Shakespeare knew a thing or two about writing comedy. ‘Many a true word hath been spoken in jest’ he said, or words to that effect. I concur with the Bard.
I came to pondering the relationship between fiction and comedy thanks to Shepherd.com, a new website for readers and authors. They approached me – among a thousand other authors – to name our favourite books.
I naturally opted for humorous fiction and, after much soul-searching, managed to whittle my choice down to five. How did I choose? First and foremost, of course, the books had to be funny, really funny, with characters that amused and plots that engaged – but not only funny. There had to be something more for the reader to get their teeth into. Not a heavy-handed message, you understand – that would kill the humour – but a subtle use of comedy to present a thought-provoking attitude, opinion or situation.
Compiling the list was a wonderful opportunity to revisit books I’ve enjoyed, and enjoy them all over again. It was also a welcome reminder that funny books don’t have to be trivial or fluffy. In the best of them, I would suggest, humour is laced with poignancy and flights of fancy with hard truths. That’s certainly how I aspire to write, anyway. Heart and humour, laughter and tears.
The best humorous books make you laugh AND make you think.
These are the five books I chose:
Reasons to be Cheerful by Nine Stibbe
A Very Important Teapot by Steve Sheppard (no relation)
A Murder to Die For by Stevyn Colgan
Domestic Bliss and Other Disasters by Jane Ions
Spencer’s List by Lissa Evans.
You can read my reviews of the five books on my list here.
Thrilled to discover that, not yet out a month, and already A Novel Solution is grabbing attention.
Dumbstruck to find that The Bookseller magazine, no less – the publication read by publishers, retailers, agents and libraries – has singled it out as ‘One to watch’, praising the ‘warm, knowing humour of Clark’s clever second novel.’ Swoon-worthy praise indeed!
And these are some of the reviews that readers have kindly posted. My thanks to all who took the time to express their views. Please keep them coming. Writers love to hear from their readers:
*
‘It takes quite some skill to not only write humour (with a touch of pathos) but also to write something that becomes such an ‘easy reading’ experience. More that that, something in which the reader can immediately ‘view’ – even hear – the characters and plot coming to life. Sue Clark achieves all this and more.
A Novel Solution (great title!) is an intriguing romp through one woman’s mid-life crisis and her highly creative – if often disastrous – attempts to revive her fortunes.’ – Kindle customer
*
‘I had high hopes of this book. After all I’d really enjoyed Sue Clark’s first novel ‘Note to Boy’… Well, I was NOT disappointed… This is comic crime fiction, the plot is well-handled and I am very much loath to spoil any of the jokes. Suffice to say that many are aimed at writers, would be and published, self- or otherwise.
‘Much funnier than any of the tall bloke with the glasses’s books, this little wonder has more in common with Horowitz’s Magpie Murders than those.’ – Ewan
*
‘This book was so quintessentially English and eccentric, it was a rip-roaring read! Part mid-life angst, part thriller/mystery, all entertainment… The cynical humour that Sue Clark uses throughout the book hits all the right notes, the quick wit of Trish and the pithy put-downs of Amanda had me giggling to myself as I read it.
‘This book does have a serious message within its laughs – as we age, women find it difficult to see their worth and to define their place in a world that is hell-bent on making them more and more invisible. The world should take heed from this book and ignore women ‘of a certain age’ at its peril!’ – Kerry Young
*
‘I tore through this book. A funny and satirical read about two middle-aged women Trish and Amanda, the former a wannabe writer with a failed marriage, and the latter, a supposed “success” in the literary world, A Novel Solution highlights the plight of Trish as she takes “writing classes” from Amanda to gain some skills to reinvent herself. The characters/voices are well-developed and likeable, including the builder and a metaphysical, surrealish Ivy character too.’ – Ivy Ngeow
