Tales from the Gishlan Wood by Helen M. Pugsley

Pugsley comes from a small town of 20 in eastern Wyoming, but currently resides in Laramie. Set in an Aberdeenshire castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR features the Scottish witchcraft accusations and a love story.Helen M. It runs all week (June 19th- 26th 2022) with one of each book up for grabs and it’s a worldwide competition.įIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the 18th century kidnapped children of Aberdeen. On a happier note, one that doesn’t make me cry anyway: I’m doing a signed book giveaway over on Instagram. Lovely soothing candle from Tilly’s Candle Shop… sniff… Giveaway And you’ll get nice sensible and scenic posts about castles and standing stones 🙂īut for now, I recover – from both medical conditions and writing – in the garden. It is possible that illness is making me worse, crying-wise. The book is on its way back for edit three soon ( GWL did spoil me with their three editing process, and I won’t do less now), so all is well there.

We, or at least I, need someone less attached, someone who did not write the words and scenes, to look at the work objectively and say: this could be better, this is not clear, were you under the influence of one of your stronger prescription drugs when you wrote this? Because in our, or my, invested blubbering state, we might not see it. This emotional aspect of writing is one of the many reasons good, thorough, even brutal, editing is so important. I’m welling up just looking at the line now, overcome by all that it references. The latest line, from SISTERS, to set me off was: In the midst of great loss, the newness of a baby helps. It all flows fast and organically out of me and I have no choice but to go where my heart takes me. The first one I can maybe manage, at least while marketing, but certainly not while writing. And we should write to a ‘market’ and design covers to a genre stereotype. Like, when we market our books, they should be regarded as ‘products’ and we should not be emotionally attached to them. If the writer isn’t fully immersed, how can the reader ever be? Rhododendron flowers on the pink bench Marketingīut then, I read other things, sensible things really. It’s no wonder I’m sometimes dehydrated!Įmotive writing is, just that.

And even crying while thinking about writing, as the scenes, both happy and sad, play out in my mind.

Tales from the Gishlan Wood by Helen M. Pugsley