Welcome to my September Q & A. Today I’m happy to be featuring, friend and author Trish Power who writes under the pen name of Alex Craigie. Her recent release, Means to Deceive, a psychological thriller, which I’ve read and reviewed, is her latest release.
About Alex:
Alex Craigie is the pen name of Trish Power.
Trish was ten when her first play was performed at school. It was in rhyming couplets and written in pencil in a book with imperial weights and measures printed on the back.
When her children were young, she wrote short stories for magazines before returning to the teaching job that she loved.
Trish has had three books published under the pen name of Alex Craigie. The first two books cross genre boundaries and feature elements of romance, thriller and suspense against a backdrop of social issues. Someone Close to Home highlights the problems affecting care homes while Acts of Convenience has issues concerning the health service at its heart. Her third book. Means to Deceive, is a psychological thriller.
Someone Close to Home has won a Chill with a Book award and a Chill with the Book of the Month award. In 2019 it was one of the top ten bestsellers in its category on Amazon.
Blurb:
Eighteen months ago, Gwen Meredith left the job she loved and came back to Pembrokeshire to help support her irritable and increasingly confused grandmother.
But someone is pursuing a vendetta against her.
As the attacks become more malicious, her old anxieties begin to build.
She’s attracted to her new neighbour who is keen to help…but can she trust him?
When those closest to her are threatened, her desperation mounts.
Who can she trust?
Gwen has a dark secret of her own.
Can she even trust herself?
My 5 Star Review for Means to Deceive:
Top review from Canada
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping til the end
Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2022
Gwen is having a bad day, many bad days. She is a teacher’s assistant who does not like the school principal, Ian, yet someone snapped a shot of her shaking his hand at an event and it became taken out of context, big time – internet big time, and a smear campaign ensued.
Gwen noticed an alcoholic, abusive father physically abusing his child. She tried to intervene and the man drove off with his child. Her alerting authorities angered this man and he began harrassing Gwen.
Dyleth has a crush on married principal Ian and believes Gwen is hot for the two timing married principal and spreads gossip.
Gwen had a boring, quiet life before these incidents happened. She moved in with her ailing, demanding, grandmother Edith less than two years ago to take care of her. The only good thing that has happened in Gwen’s life lately, was meeting her new next door neighbor, Ben. Ben becomes her shining knight in armor when all the weirdness, attacks and chaos begins. Is Ben too good to be true, or should we now begin suspecting him?
Strange and evil things are taking place at Gwen’s home. The abusive man is doing drive bys and knock knocks, someone lurks in her garden at night causing damage and painting vile words on her car and lawn. Gwen feels like she’s losing her mind when even the police aren’t doing much with her many complaints.
Gwen’s brother Gethin is having relationship problems at home and decides to come visit his sister and grandmother to help figure out what is going on around that house. He too is attacked one night, and once again, neighbor Ben manages to save his life.
A lot is going on in Gwen’s life and she begins to question her own sanity when too many strange things keep happening. Gwen also struggles with a childhood incident where she blames herself for her parents’ deaths. We’ll later discover that everything Gwen thought happened wasn’t really as it seemed.
If you are already curious as to what is going on, trust me, you will continue to feel that way as you will be eager to keep turning the pages to find out what is going on. Who done what? Is there a traitor among family? Is the principal or the abusive man responsible for all the chaos and accidents? Could Gwen’s developing relationship with Ben the neighbor be real or does he have ulterior motives? You will want to find out as Craigie takes us on a carefully plotted out story that won’t give us a hint until the very end.
Let’s Welcome Alex and get to know a little more about her.
Hi, Debby!
I’ll begin by thanking you from the heart for for this great opportunity to share something about myself and my writing with all of your followers.
D.G. – I’m thrilled to have you over Trish. ❤
Do you have an interesting writing quirk or habit that helps you with your writing?
I suspect my whole life is a bit quirky!
There are several practical things I do to try and keep the words coming. For instance, I have a small pile of paper on my desk that has only been used on one side. I fold each sheet in half, blank side outermost, and when a new idea comes to me when the flow is going well, I grab one of these pieces of paper, scribble the idea down and then forget about it to stop it intruding. When I’ve written myself to a standstill, I come back to peruse the idea and decide what to do with it.
In a similar vein, some of my best ideas come to me in the night. Sadly, come the morning I’d remember I’d had a wonderful line or brilliant way to tie-in a new section but had forgotten the details! Turning on the light to write them down certainly meant that I remembered them, but didn’t make for a great night’s sleep for me or my husband… Now, I have a similar stack of used paper on my bedside table with a pencil resting on top of it. When an idea surfaces, I write it down in the dark. Quite often, I’ll have several different things occur to me and I have to try to recall how far down the page I’d reached with the last comment. It doesn’t always work and it’s well nigh impossible to untangle two or more lines of writing scrawled on top of each other.
The ‘half asleep writing’ frequently extricates me from a tricky dilemma I’ve written myself into. My other method is to go into the garden and do some weeding. There’s plenty of weeding to be done and so I never run out of material! There’s something about mindlessly pulling stuff out of the ground that sets the subconscious free to untangle things.
D.G. – Lol Trish, I had to laugh because I use a similar method. When I’m writing and following thought and think of something else I want to add, I add it in the margin – don’t forget, I write longhand. As for night thoughts and not wanting to disturb, you could open your Kindle and use the backlight to shine upon your paper without disturbing hubby. That may work better. Tip: I keep my Kindle on low light at night so it doesn’t keep me wide awake when reading late at night.
Do you find your writing is geared towards a specific audience or do you just write what inspires you to write?
Frequently, my writing is driven by a need to share experiences that concern me. That does sound self-indulgent and “worthy”, but it’s what was behind many of the short stories for magazines that I wrote when the children were tiny. I wrote about peer pressure, domestic abuse, inequalities – that sort of thing. There were others that I wrote simply for fun and they were well-received, too, but those were a pleasure to write and there wasn’t that driving need to pen them.
My first novel, Someone Close to Home, was written because I’d been visiting family and friends in the generation above me in a variety of care homes and what I saw was so upsetting I found myself crying at one point, not in sorrow but in rage. This book crossed so many genre boundaries it was a nightmare to categorise. I decided that my next book would sit nicely withing a recognized niche. It was a romantic suspense/psychological thriller about a young woman damaged by guilt from the past who found herself in increasing danger from someone in the community. Means to Deceive was started when the first book was being sorted for publication. But…
… it was the end of 2015 and the situation in our health service was bothering me. Our NHS has been a gold standard model throughout the world, but parts of it were being hived off to private companies and the core of it wasn’t being maintained. So, I stopped the second book and went off on another social grouse! This was Acts of Convenience, but it had to be shelved for several years because my mother developed two different forms of dementia that made writing impossible. When I did get back to it, I ended up with another published book that didn’t sit nicely in a category. So I dug out Means to Deceive again.
D.G. – No doubts our connection is kindred spirits. We are both people bothered by social injustice. Although I say it out loud in nonfiction, you work those issues beautifully into your fiction.
Do your books have messages in them? If so, what are the messages you feel are well received by your readers?
Well, after that last answer, I’m sure you can guess my response!
Someone Close to Home was written in the first person because I wanted readers to be able to identify with the situation where you leave your home and all the possessions you’ve acquired over your lifetime and end up in one cramped room totally dependent on the goodness of others. Most of the staff I came across on my visits were absolutely brilliant, but all it takes is someone who treats you like a commodity – or worse – to turn it into a nightmare. I’ve had so many people write to me about their shared experiences that I know this situation isn’t restricted to the UK. I wrote about residents who were unable to feed themselves, having their food left on the tray in front of them only for it to be removed untouched by someone (tutting) later. That resonated far too often with people. The concerns I’d classify as abuse were also horribly familiar to others.
Acts of Convenience takes the central character Cassie from 2017 to 2055. She’s a nurse and she and the family are at the sharp end of the consequences of expedient legislation made by successive governments. It reflects my concerns about cutting funding for the treatment of the elderly and chronically sick, working conditions, the exploitation of our information and privacy by unscrupulous companies, the manipulation of media, our exposure to foreign hacking – loads of things that concern me! Because Cassie eventually joins a group to expose the corruption she’s witnessing, the book begins as social description and ends as a thriller. I was so unsure of it as a format, I haven’t tried to market it but I’ve had some terrific responses from people and may decide to do so some promotion in the future.
In similar vein, I realized that my romantic suspense/psychological thriller, Means to Deceive, was becoming hijacked by my concerns about social media and so I made a conscious decision to nip that in the bud and stay within the traditional genre. Instead, I’ve transferred my concerns about the abuse of social media into a novella called The Bubble Reputation which I’m polishing at the moment to get it ready for publication.
D.G. – I am looking forward to eventually reading your two other books, which currently are resting on my reader. As you pointed out the content, and had previously warned me of the content, and due to the too much I myself have witnessed with my husband’s frequent hospital visits, I’m not yet ready to read such content. But I am looking forward to your new, upcoming book!
What’s your favourite mode of writing – computer, hand written, dictation, and why?
My mode of writing has evolved through the years. When I was six, I wrote with a stubby pencil in an exercise book. The pencil was replaced with one of those “new-fangled” biros when I was a bit older.
The short stories for magazines were hand written in a big notebook and then transferred to my portable typewriter to send for publication. Typing then was considerably tougher than it is today! For a start, you had to properly jab the keys to get the letters to hit the paper. There was also the dismay when you reached the last line of a page and made a mistake. I never feltI could send a copy with the offending error blotted out in that bright “Bay Watch teeth white” corrector, and so I’d roll another page in place and take it from the top again.
We bought a secondhand electric typewriter in an auction and it was so touch sensitive, I’d written a whole line of “T”s before I managed to add the “h” and “e” of the first word. It was so easy to use but it didn’t remove the irritation of making mistakes. Writing by hand was less frustrating.
Then we come to computers. Oh my! To be able to correct errors was a delight in itself, but it’s also blessedly easy to move things around, change vocabulary, check for overused words and insert new material that improves a section.
When mapping out a novel, I always start with a pen and paper because it’s easier to
brainstorm that way, but for the actual text it has to be my trusty laptop.
(Here I must add a caveat: when saving my precious work at the end of the day, I add the current date to the title. This prevents me uploading an older version or, worse, overwriting one. Learn from my bitter experience!)
D.G. – So nice to learn that you too write longhand, even to start. As you know, I’m a dinosaur who writes her books, reviews and blogs in longhand first. Lol. And thanks for your last tip, adding the date. Don’t get me started how many times I found myself creating new copies with edits. Oye! ❤
How do you promote your work? Do you find marketing and social media overwhelming?
Overwhelming doesn’t come close!
I’m from that generation that was castigated for “blowing their own trumpet”. I find it really hard to sell from that point of view alone.
I’m only on Facebook. (I tried to get to grips with Twitter but reading the guides to it were like wading through molasses in concrete boots.) Everyone who knows me also knows what an eejit I am when it comes to Facebook. I feel anxious every time I have dealings with the site (daily) because I don’t know if I’m following etiquette correctly or posting where I should. I could do with someone to go through it with me in short sentences composed of simple one-syllable words. An example of my stupidity is that I haven’t had any notifications for at least four days. I wondered if everyone was on holiday (!). When I dug deeper today, I discovered hundreds of posts, some of which were important. I’ve been on the help site but, despite thinking I’m fairly competent in the English language, I still don’t understand what’s going on – or what on earth a push post is.
It’s also a source of shame to me that I don’t have my own blog where I can post other people’s reviews. I don’t know how you do it and still find the time to exist. Our three children and seven grandchildren all live within a few miles of us and can drop in any time (still socially distanced) in our garden. They fill my days with delight. I also have several health issues that mean that when things are bad I need to slope off to bed. These are my excuses, but I know that others who manage blogs have families, full-time jobs and other commitments.
My admiration and unbounded gratitude go to people like you, Debby, who give me the
oxygen of publicity in a form that I can handle. Well, to be honest, I’m not handling it -you are! It must take considerable time and trouble to organize this promotion for me and I can’t stress how much I appreciate it, particularly as I know you have your own writing projects on the go.
Sally Cronin is also a tireless promoter of authors which must cut considerably into her own writing time. Diana Wallace Peach is yet another terrific writer who goes out of her way to review and boost those of us without big publishing companies behind us. There’s really too many supportive people to list here but I have to give another shout-out to Judith Barrow and Thorne Moore who give me a nudge when there’s a review about me on Facebook that I’ve missed, and who post those same reviews for me. I really do need that Facebook lesson!
D.G. – First, don’t beat yourself up about ‘fakebook’ (as I prefer to call it, lol). They are forever changing their set up. Most of us don’t get our notifications until days or weeks later. They have taken away all the easy ways for us authors to navigate our pages. I, along with several author friends have discussed this and have given up posting on our author pages, or our author pages, period. We are a supportive community, and I so appreciate the sharing and help from others when I too need it. I will second what you said about Sally. As for me, I’ve been a multi-tasker all my life and spent a lot of time learning the tediousness (Is that a word?) of social media. But trust me, I, along with others, have certainly had our share of technical blog issues. I am grateful to have Colleen Chesebro as a Sister/Friend who always comes to my rescue when things get out of control. It does take a village sometimes. I love promoting other authors and giving back, so it’s worth the work for me. ❤
It was a pleasure having you here today Trish. I do hope readers will check out your addictive books.
Excerpt from Means to Deceive
The blisters have burst and some of them are seeping blood. I’d been so desperate to
obliterate the obscene writing that I’d worked through the pain but now the sensation is
making itself known and I suck my lower lip between my teeth and clamp down on it.
Ben speaks quietly. ‘I didn’t appreciate the extent of the damage. This must hurt like the
devil.’
I shake my head and release my lip. ‘It’s just a few blisters.’
‘Well, let’s get some antiseptic onto them and then see about covering them up. I’ll try to
be as gentle as I can.’
He opens an antiseptic wipe and dabs my damaged palm. For someone with such large
hands he has a remarkably light touch.
‘I’m afraid some of this is down to me.’ He continues dabbing at my palm which is now on
fire. ‘That shower will have softened the skin allowing things to get this bad.’
I shake my head. I’m trying to keep the pain hidden and don’t trust my voice. He picks up the cream and applies a coating that quickly brings the fire down to a smoulder and then he fixes a clean white dressing in place.
‘Right. Time to do the other one.’
He takes my left hand and studies it. Mine is pale and tiny in comparison with his.
‘These don’t look so bad. They’re still raw but they’re not bleeding.’ He starts to dab at them. ‘I think you’ll get away with some plasters on these.’
I say nothing, watching as his hands continue to work methodically and efficiently. There’s something soothing, almost mesmerising, about the process and it comes as a surprise when he announces, ‘There. I think that’ll do.’
‘Thanks. You were right. It was quicker and easier this way.’ I don’t know what else to say and that familiar gaucheness overcomes me. ‘You’ve obviously done this sort of thing before.’
‘I’ve a younger sister who was always getting herself into scrapes.’ His mouth tightens into a straight line and he busies himself putting things back into the green tin.
The kitchen door opens and Claire bustles through.
‘Right. Well, that’s me finished, Gwen.’ She notices the two of us sitting together and
adds, ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you had your young man here.’
‘He’s not!’
‘I’m not.’
Our response is instant and she simply nods and carries on as normal. ‘Well, your grandmother’s comfy. She wouldn’t have a shower but she’s had a good wash, eaten most of her breakfast and she’s watching TV now.’ She heads for the door and turns to add, ‘Don’t forget she has an appointment with Dr Kumari at 4.30 this afternoon.’
A groan escapes me. ‘Thanks, Claire. It’d gone completely out of my mind.’
‘It ain’t surprising, my dear, after all the …er…’ The words drift off and I appreciate her tact but squirm at the knowledge that she’s aware of what’s happened. ‘Well, I’ll leave you to it then.’ She takes another couple of steps and then stops again. ‘Will you be able to get her there? Without your car, I mean?’
I can feel heat flame my face. ‘Yes. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.’
‘There we are then. I’ll see you again on Tuesday. Bye’
Ben hands me the tin and I cross to the dresser and replace it in its drawer. I stand with my back to him, giving myself time to recover from this latest blow. How am I going to get her to the surgery without my car? Can I afford two taxis?
I turn back to Ben. ‘Many thanks for all your help. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, please let me know.’
It’s a dismissal and he knows it. He clicks his fingers at Atticus who chooses to obey him and crosses to his side. But he’s hesitating.
‘What will you do without your car this afternoon?’
‘I’ll get a taxi.’ I’ve made my voice light and assured. ‘It’s not a problem.’
‘Good.’
He heads towards the door, Atticus lolloping faithfully at his heels, but he pauses and then comes back. ‘Look, I need to book myself in with a medical centre and I may as well do that today as I have to be in town this afternoon anyway.’
‘No. It’s all right. We’ll manage.’
He runs a hand around the back of his neck. ‘Are you always this obstinate?’
I’m stuck for an answer. Part of me is bristling at the accusation while the rest of me is shouting that his help in this would be a godsend.
‘Gwen, I’m going into town later. It would be no bother at all to give you and your grandmother a lift to the centre. It’s up to you.’
I swallow my pride, audibly. ‘Thank you. It would be a great help.’
He gives a nod of his head. ‘Right. If I come round at about ten past four will that give you long enough?’
‘That would be perfect.’
‘And I’ll come in to the centre on my way back from dropping off some plans at the office,
sign up and drop you back home again.’
I open my mouth to protest, notice the humorous challenge in his eyes, and meekly thank him.
x
Alex’s upcoming book:
Coming soon! – The Bubble Reputation!
An unscrupulous editor does a hatchet job on Emmie Hobson, based on weasel words such as ‘our sources say’, ‘an insider confides’ ‘friends disclose’, etc. Social media picks up the baton runs with it, unleashing hateful rhetoric that threatens Emmie and all that she holds dear…
D.G. – Looking forward to reading it Trish!
x
Find Alex on Social Sites:
©DGKaye2022
DGKayewriter.com 
Hi Debby, Hi Trish, this is an interesting Q&A. You both impress me by writing things in long hand. I don’t write much in long-hand. In fact, I write so little that I find it difficult to actually write with a pen. Even the poems I write while on the back of a safari vehicle are typed into my phone. I enjoyed Acts of Convenience very much. I love that Trish took on the ills of the NHS and exposed them in a dystopian way. People have become very nonchalant about the rights our parents fought so hard for and now, in some places, they are being taken away. You have to keep right on fighting to keep the ground that’s been won, especially us women.
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Thanks so much Robbie for sharing your thoughts. I am with you all the way on what you said about having to keep these issues in the forefront. We must be warrior women! ❤
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No one can doubt your credentials in this matter, Debby! It’s good to have you back from detention. 😀
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Lol, thanks so much Trish. I’m on my best behavior LOL ❤
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👍🏻
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Thanks for the morale-boosting comment, Robbie! I’m still trying to imagine typing a poem into a phone – I struggle with simple messages – let alone whilst on safari! As for people’s rights being eroded (including those ones women literally gave up their lives for) I’m right with you. It’s too late to wait until they’ve gone before trying to do something to prevent it. 🙂
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I’m a big fan of Trish’s work. I’ve read Means to Deceive and Acts of Convenience—both terrific books. Promoting ourselves seems unnatural to me, too, as someone who was raised to be humble, but I’ve come to grips that without any promotion, few if any, new readers may come along.
I don’t think it’s self-indulgent to write about experiences that concern us. For one, many others may not be aware of these topics. Besides, I think we’re happiest when we write about things we’re most passionate about. That’s the essence of my blog. What is one of the things we hear most as writers? Write what you know.
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I agree Pete. I think it’s a great thing as writers to help spread awareness – spreading news. And you are right, there are many who need to be enlightened. 🙂
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Absolutely!
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Many thanks for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment, Pete. I’m clearly preaching to the converted here! It’s so good of people like Debby to help with the promotion and take the anguish out of it. Hugs.
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So great to learn more about Trish – congratulations to her on the great extract and review.
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Thanks so much Toni xx
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Thanks, Toni. I’m aware how supportive you are and that support makes a huge difference. x
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Wonderful Debby and Trish and I did smile at the scribbles in the night and can relate, I try to keep the note to one word that I hope will jog my memory. I have loved all your books and look forward to the next. Thank you for the mention both of you and delighted to be a small part of your writing adventures. ♥♥
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Lol Sal, I think many of us writers have that inspiration in the wee hours of the night. Lol, I’ve done that ‘one word’ reminder too. But sometimes I’m baffled, lol. Thanks so much Sal for all you do.<3 xx
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Yep, Debby – one word would have me baffled for a very long time. I’ve had countless bits of paper that I’ve not been able to make sense of in the cold light of day!
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Lol, our subconscious mind is an entity of itself. 🙂 ❤
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Thanks, Sally. I’m positively bouncing with happiness at your comment – well, perhaps not quite physically bouncing but certainly emotionally! Good to hear that someone else does the night scribbles, too! xx
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Lovely post Trish..♥
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Thanks, Debby and Trish. It is always fascinating to learn more about writers we keep hearing about, their methods, and how they chose their topics. I must check and make sure I add Trish’s books to my list if they aren’t there already (I think some are), as all the topics she covers are close to my heart as well. Good luck with the promotion side of things. Social media never stays the same, so even the people who claim to be experts are often left behind by the new fad or fashion. Other than my reviews and checking on my friends (when I have a chance), I tend to avoid most of it.
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Hi Olga. I think as writers, we are always curious to learn how other writers operate too. I’m happy to enlighten with featuring Trish and her books here. And I so agree with you on the ever-changing social media. There does come a point when it feels so overwhelming – especially when all we want to do is write. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Happy weekend my friend. ❤
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Sometimes I think of those writers from my childhood – like Enid Blyton – who shut themselves away, wrote to their heart’s content and then passed the finished work on to a publisher who sorted out all the rest. On the other hand, I probably wouldn’t have considered writing then and it’s only comparatively recently that it’s been possible and cost effective to self publish. x
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Ain’t that the truth Trish. ❤
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Thanks, Olga. As someone whose reviews I really respect, that comment means a huge amount to me. 🙂
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I loved learning more about Trish and her writing… that excerpt was beautifully written!
I will be reading Means to Deceive…
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Thanks so much Jaye. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed learning more about Trish and her writing. Hugs xx
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Thank you for making it possible! ❤
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❤
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You meet so many lovely people online…
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Oh yes we do. And we get to choose our circles ❤
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What a lovely comment! I can’t thank Debby enough for giving me this opportunity and going to so much trouble to execute it. I’ve come across such kindness from people like yourselves and it does make it all worthwhile. x
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❤
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It is a good feeling, Trish…
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Fun interview and great review. Congrats, Trish, on that lovely review. Like you, many of my ideas hit when I should be sleeping … my iPad has saved the ideas from melting into ether so many times, lols. I keep it on a low light, much as Debby does.
Wishing you every success, Trish.
Thanks for sharing, Debby.
Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs 💕🙂
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Thanks bunches Harmony for sharing some of your own thoughts. I think many of us writers have the midnight oil inspiration burning in us, it’s a matter of how many of us remember the next day, lol. Glad you enjoyed our interview. Hugs and happy weekend. ❤ xx
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I bought a small sound-activated dictaphone once. Every snore triggered it…
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Lollllllllll 🙂 x
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Bless you for that, Harmony! You’re another author who provides support and reassurance that makes such a big difference to me. xx
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Hugs 🤗💖
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I’ll definitely check out ‘Means to Deceive’. Great interview, Debby. I remember working on an NHS ward where a patient was crying because he was hungry and couldn’t feed himself. Nurses were too busy. I stepped around from my desk and went to feed him. However, I was later reprimanded as my job description as a (then) ward clerk did not cover feeding patients. Ye Gods – there needs to be a little bit more common sense sometimes. x
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Omg Stevie. You nailed it. I lived it with my own husband. I have seen the truly heart-breaking for sure. Especially where I live, politics and the Covid has deteriorated our health system and our nursing shortage is critically scary here now. Every patient needs an advocate and someone to be with them. It still haunts me – hence, I can’t bring myself, yet, to read Trish’s other books. In fact, she even warned me about being triggered. Trish has a very kind heart. Thanks for reading and your interest . I know we enjoy many of the same books. You will love Trish’s book(s). Happy weekend. ❤ xx
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Yes, the patients who didn’t have relatives to come in and feed them suffered the most, due to wards being chronically short-staffed.
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It’s such a damned state of affairs 😦 x
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Bless you, Debby – and it’s still not the book for you. Things are still far too raw for you yet. Many thanks for promoting it regardless. ❤
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I appreciate your honesty Trish. ❤ xx
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Stevie, that’s appalling! (Not the comment about me- I loved that one!) To step in to help someone like that and then be reprimanded for it beggars belief. Sadly, I’m aware that it’s a widespread issue and the vulnerable person at the sharp end of it doesn’t have the wherewithal to do anything about it. Thanks for commenting! x
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I’m just glad I got to feed the patient. I remember that one nurse left because she hated to see patients left to fend for themselves. She went over to the private sector.
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I would have certainly been a force to reckon with ❤
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Lol- I bet! x
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🙂 x
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That’s not an uncommon story, unfortunately, Stevie. In the UK, the NHS is underfunded and understaffed and I dread the point where it’s completely carved up and hived off to the private sector. I’ve witnessed for myself situations where the staff are so run off their feet they can’t fit everything in. I’ve also witnessed staff who shouldn’t be in that position who don’t provide the quality of care that they should.
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Great interview and review. That is one I’ve been wanting to read for a while. Floating at the top of my reading list. I like the suggestion of using the Kindle to write down ideas in the middle of the night. I usually ending up in the bathroom putting the ideas on my phone or a notepad. Then sleep is gone of course. Social Media can be helpful but has so much to learn. I try to do it all but never take the time to learn enough about it. I just found my old typewriter with auto correct. I loved that addition. Might clean it up and see if it still works. Thanks for another great Q & A! Xo
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Ha Denise! Wouldn’t it be fun to abandon the social grind and get back to the old typewriter without distractions? I’m glad you are eager to read Trish’s book, Denise. It will keep you guessing til the end! I think that many of us writers live with interrupted sleep, lol. Happy weekend my friend. ❤ xx
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You are a star! ❤
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❤
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Denise, you can imagine how delighted I am with your comment! Like you, if I use a light of any description to write down my ideas, getting back to sleep again takes ages. You have a typewriter with auto correct? That would have been such a boon years ago! I do struggle with social media and am fortunate that Debby is generous enough to help me in this way. There are so many lovely people in this community! xx
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Thanks for introducing me to Alex Craigie. Her books sound very interesting. I must check them out.
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Thanks so much Anneli, for visiting, and your interest. Hugs x
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My cup runneth o’er, Debby! ❤
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That makes me smile Trish ❤
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Thanks for that, Anneli! So many books, so little time – I expect you have a TBR mountain, too. I’m getting back to reading after a cataract op a few days ago and the talent out there, quietly existing below the surface, is remarkable.
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I wanted to add that I understand how hard it is to “blow our own horns” when it comes to advertising that we writers are out there. This is where blog hosts like Debby come in to save the day. Congrats on the book, Alex, and best of luck with the promotions.
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And thanks for your kind words Anneli. Hugs x
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It was lovely to see Trish here, Debby, and I too laughed at the night-writing in the dark and having to decipher the layered nonsense in the morning. Thanks for the idea of the low-light kindle-flashlight. And could also relate to starting the idea-germination of a story through hand-writing. Somehow that allows the imagination more wiggle room. I’ve read all of Trish’s books and they’ve all kept me glued to my seat. Thanks for hosting, Debby, and congrats to Trish on the fabulous review. (And Trish, thank YOU for the wonderful review of TND). Hugs to you both!
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Thanks so much for dropping by Diana. So glad you enjoyed learning more about Trish – and our crazy night writing, lol. Yes, you said it, for me, anyway, my creativity seems to spur through my hands better than a machine. Sometimes the mighty pen takes a journey of its own when creativity sparks with me. And so nice to hear you’ve read all Trish’s books, which I too aspire to doing so – eventually. In the meantime, I finished your book TND last night, and cried through the last chapter. This book was so moving, despite the evil and war. I didn’t want it to end, but what so satisfied with the ending. Hugs xxx
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❤ ❤ ❤
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I agree, Debby!
x
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Not surprised Trish ❤
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Thanks, Diana! I’m sure you can imagine how much comments like these mean to me. I’m so grateful for the support and for Debby’s kindness in hosting me and going to considerable trouble on my behalf. As for TND, I loved it – the worlds from The Unraveling the Veil series, The Ferryman and the Sea Witch and The Necromancer’s Daughter are so very different from each other and I’ve lost myself in all of them through your relateable characters. ❤
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No trouble at all Trish. It’s been a pleasure featuring you here. ❤
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Thanks, Trish, and I can highly recommend all of your books. I hope you’re working on a new one!
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It’s being formatted at the moment. It’s only a novella but it was a topic I had to get off my chest! x
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Looking forward Trish ❤
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Awesome, Trish. You know I’ll be lining up to read it. 🙂
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♥♥
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What a great interview with Trish. I loved all the questions and answers. I totally understand about coming from a generation where we were admonished for tooting our own horns. It’s taking a long time to undo that bit of programming. I have Trish’s book on my Kindle and look forward to reading it!! Thank you for hosting, Debby!
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Hi Jan. So glad you enjoyed. Yes, we have to de-program ourselves if we wish to get the word out about our writing. I know many of us still dread this but we must. And a great way to help is by sharing the works of others. That’s what I love doing. I hope you enjoy Trish’s book as much as many of us already have. Hugs xx
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Debby, I can’t thank you enough for giving me this opportunity to raise my head above the parapet. I don’t understimate the considerable time it must have taken to put all of this together and I hope you know how much I appreciate it, ❤ ❤ ❤
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Trish, it was my absolute pleasure. And you are too kind my friend. I am thrilled to introduce you to my readers, and I know more will be passing through in coming days. Well deserved my friend. Hugs ❤ xxx
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Oh happy day! Many thanks for that lovely comment, Jan – I’ve had such a morale boost and I owe Debby big time for making it happen. x
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Wow–what a LONG Q&A! Very interesting. Though. May have more to say in the middle of next week after returning from prelims in Arizona. Cross-genre sounds good to me. 🙂
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Thanks John. And good luck! 😉
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Many thanks for reading and commenting, John. The cross-genre suits my style but is a nightmare to promote! I’m afraid I had no idea what you meant by the prelims and popped across to your site where I’ve been trapped for nearly two hours. I wish you well with the treatment and hope the side effects are mild – your mindset will help enrmously. I used to do hatha yoga and have always been drawn to Buddhism but have never taken those first steps. Maybe now would be a good time. 🙂
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Well, I hope you must have been trapped on the Views site; if you found it that interesting, just leave a comment and I’ll put a link in there that will lead you to those first steps.
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Alex, try this link for first steps. https://sgi-uk.org/
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Many thanks for the link, John. I’ve book marked it and will have a look at it in the morning. When I was 16 or 17 I became a member of the Tibet Society for the UK and have been interested since then. I always seem to be too busy – which is, of course, truly ironic!
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So much positivity from your followers, Debby. What a lovely, kind and supportive group they are. It’s been a delight being on here and I’m genuinely touched by all the comments and your unstinting help and encouragement. ♥♥
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Thanks Trish. I’m so glad you enjoyed being featured. It’s been a treat having you over. ❤ xx
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♥♥
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I enjoyed this interview with Trish and learning more about the inspiration for Someone Close to Home, which I recently finished reading. The nursing home care details seemed so true to life that I wondered if she had worked as a care aid herself. I was filled with rage by how poor Claire was being treated, by both the nursing home and her family. All the best to her for the success of Means to Deceive. Sharing to help spread the word!
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*Oops, sorry. I meant Megan. Claire is the main character in my current WIP. Sheesh . . .
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Megan feels honoured to be linked with your Claire! 🙂
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Thank you for your understanding, Trish!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on one of Trish’s other books Liz. No doubts that book is a hard one to digest, but a great eye opener. ❤
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It’s certainly not a book I’d recommend to anyone with a vulnerable friend or relative facing a similar situation, Debby, or (in your case) someone who’s had experience of this kind of thing recently. ❤
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You know I appreciate your honesty and forthrightness Trish. ❤
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So many thanks for that comment, Liz. Most of my experience comes from my visits to elderly friends and relatives, but years ago my mother went for an interview to be the resident nurse at a care home. When she saw that the residents spent most of their day lined up in the wide corridor, one behind the other, she left. My daughter-in-law took up a job in a care home just before the novel was finished and so I couldn’t mention it to anyone here because it would have been unfair on her and on the home she was working for. Sadly, she told me that in her conversations with others who worked in care homes, the institutional neglect I wrote about was, if anything, underplayed. Huge thanks for the share!
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I’ll admit to being shocked by your response, Trish. Are care homes in the UK licensed and inspected?
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All care homes are regulated and inspected. Most of them are told in advance when it will be and pull out all the stops for the visit. Even then, there’s plenty that fail and are given time to improve. It’s a two-edged sword – I know personally of one poorly-run care home that was forced to close, and the residents had to leave within 24 hours. There was nowhere else available to take them unless they were prepared to travel thirty miles or more. This made it well-nigh impossible for elderly partners to visit their spouses. I also know of cases where residents were threatened with being thrown out if they complained. Some are truly lovely places with caring staff who treat the residents with dignity and kindness, and keep them busy with entertainment, trips and activities. It’s the luck of the draw.
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That’s very upsetting. It’s bad enough to be in the position of not being able to care for yourself.
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Trish sounds like a fun and “quirky” author and love the idea she has to have that paper available to jot down ideas !
Great way to not lose the ideas and to stop them from “intruding”
And best wishes with her new book
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Thanks so much Yvette. Yes, it’s always interesting to learn how writers use their craft. 🙂 x
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☀️😊📚
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Many thanks for the comment, Yvette! I wish I’d thought of it sooner – trying to focus on one task whilst potentially important suggestions are circling the head makes for a total loss of concentration in my case !
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Well and that too reminded me of a really awesome teacher manual I had (I just got rid of it and wish I had kept it – but I was trying to downsize books and did a great job – so I knew I would have a few books that would feel regret with – but oh well)
Anyhow – in that very detailed book – the authors had tips for keeping track of quotes, ideas, and examples that came to us – and they suggested notebooks with different themes – ready to access for the ideas-
I ended up using only my current journal -but the real takeaway from their book was reminding us to NOT LOSE those fleeting ideas and inspiration
And that was what your tip was about too
Also your tip was about stopping the intrusion – 😉
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This was a great interview with Trish. Debby, you sure know what questions to ask. I also keep a stack of paper next to my night table and jot down ideas but also when I’m planning on writing a review of a book, I like to jot down the location on my Kindle of a passage I want to refer to; otherwise, it’s much too difficult to find it. Trish, you really are very good with dialogue as is shown in the excerpt from Means to deceive which Debby inserted. I also haven’t had much luck with my FB author page. Ah, marketing…the most difficult part of self-publishing. Good luck both of you with your writings.
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Thanks so much Carol. I do the same with reviews, except, of course, I have a notepad beside me always when I’m reading to jot down poignant points. Author marketing is a huge task for all us writers. After all, we just wish we could write and magic would take care of the rest, lol. Hugs ❤
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So true, Debby. xxx
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I really appreciate this supportive comment, Carol! I’ve just started to highlight things on my Kindle during the last six weeks. With a paperback it’s so easy to flick through to find the piece you want. I think I need better coordination though, because fixing the beginning and end takes me ages! I’ll try to lodge the location instead. It’s also a comfort to know that someone else finds marketing the most difficult part of self-publishing! Many thanks. 🙂
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for the information on this book, i had missed it. It’s a good addition to your tellings and advices on difficult situations with mysterious partnerships and humans at all, Debby! xx Michael
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Hi Michael. You got it! Thanks again for visiting, enjoying the post and for your generous sharing Hugs xx
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So many thanks for reblogging, Michael, and for the comment. You do a huge amount to support authors! 🙂
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Nice to see you here, Trish. That was an interesting take on you having no blog. I think a lot of authors don’t, and use other avenues. I often wonder about the trade-off. FB is huge, so I bet you get lots of traffic there.
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It eases the anxiety a little knowing that I’m not the only author without a blog! As for FB, I comment on other people’s posts but have only posted one from my own account perhaps 4 or 5 times – and I’m made mistakes each time! I changed my profile picture once and the one that came up seemed to fill the whole page; I was mortified! Many thanks for the comment, Jacqui!:)
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Thanks for the introduction to Alex/Trish, Debby. I couldn’t get past having her first play performed at school at age 10. Nothing else matches that in my book.
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No doubts that strucl a chord with you Norah x
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Sure did, Debby. 🙂
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I was delighted – I gave myself the plum part, too!
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And why wouldn’t you? 😊
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I will be sharing a review of Trish’s book ‘Means to Decieve’ in my November newsletter. The newsletter has only a small circulation, but I try to feature one indie book per month x
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Hi Sian. Thanks for visiting and leaving your lovely message for Trish. ❤
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