I am super excited to be closing Celia Moore’s blog tour today with a guest post from the lady herself. Huge thanks to Rachel, as always, for the blog tour invite. Before I share the guest post, here is a little bit more information about Celia’s novel, ‘Fox Halt Farm’:
Opening on a cliff edge, Billy finds herself alone and betrayed. She believes everyone and everything she loves is threatened. Richard’s world is aglow with wealth, love and unswerving family loyalty but then his perfect life crosses Billy’s. He could save Billy, her beloved dairy cows and Fox Halt Farm but this young woman isn’t in the mood to be rescued.
Nothing will stay the same. Should they trust each other? Will their secrets tear their lives apart?
Fox Halt Farm is hard to put down. The story cracks along and you are caught up in Celia Moore’s vivid storytelling from the start. If you love novels by Jill Mansell, Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley, Maeve Binchy and Danielle Steel you will love this novel too!
Guest post.
Thank you, Kaisha for allowing me to be a guest on your blog. I am a big fan of The Writing Garnet so it’s a real privilege for me to be here. I want to talk about something I feel was vital to making my novel as good as it could be.
I first published Fox Halt Farm in November 2017, and a few months ago I completed its sequel, but having written this second book, learnt and developed new skills, and having scrutinised my original novel, I had to admit the awful truth to myself that Fox Halt Farm wasn’t perfect.
I am sharing here the 4 reasons that helped me see its failings.
1. Honest feedback. – having been wholly delighted with Fox Halt Farm when I published it – I sought feedback from a few people I trusted to give me an honest review so I could improve the way I wrote the sequel. The people I approached were ones I respected for their expertise but they still found it hard to criticise, knowing how much Fox Halt Farm meant to me – they were all wholly positive and encouraging but luckily, they were also brave enough to show me where I had gone wrong.
2. Standing back and time to reflect. – having written the sequel, time had passed which allowed me to see my debut novel from a new perspective, looking at it objectively, no longer as emotionally attached as I had been when I first published it. Time and a new viewpoint as a reader, rather than as the author, made me look at the words and the way I had written the story in a whole new light.
3. Writing group, classes, books and my peers. I joined my local writing group and discovered great advice, encouragement and support. I read books about how to write effectively and I met other authors too. Creative writing is a craft and all these pointers helped me grasp a better understanding of ways to improve my work.
4. Courage to admit the truth to myself – knowing that Fox Halt Farm could be improved was initially difficult for me to accept. At first, I couldn’t get past all the work I had put in getting it just so. I was delighted with my story. My long dreamt of debut was finished and I was desperate to move forward with the next part of the story. But inside, I knew I’d never be happy unless I did something about the niggling concerns, I had.
After hours of rewriting, not to change the story but to make my first novel easier to read, more polished and interesting, I have a wonderful book that I am proud of again. A triumph in my eyes. I am so happy to have been brave enough to say, ‘No this isn’t good enough.’
About the author.
Celia Moore (1967-now) grew up on a small farm near Exeter. She had a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor working in the City of London before working her way back to Devon. In 2000, she left the office to start a new adventure as an outdoor instructor, teaching rock climbing and mountaineering. Today she gardens for a few lovely customers, runs and writes (accompanied at all times by a border terrier x jack russell called Tizzy). She is running the London Marathon in April 2019 for three cancer charities.
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