Today I am delighted to welcome author of the recently published novel Remember Me, Lynda Renham, to Swirl and Thread.
Lynda has written a piece for us about her transition from traditional ‘chicklit’ to the world of the Psychological Thriller and she speaks a little of the dread of many a writer…The Block!!
I’ll hand you over to Lynda now…
Why change Genre
by Lynda Renham
I’ve always written.
My first published piece of work was when I was aged 7. My father submitted a piece about my rabbit to a children’s magazine and I’ve never looked back. It was so exciting at 7 to see my work in print. I went on to write tons of stuff. All of it was rejected.
My very first full length novel was inspired by ‘Peyton Place’ and was titled ‘The Happpenings in Beechwood.’ I remember having it confiscated at school because I was writing under the desk during lessons.
I then started to write political articles for online magazines and American magazines. I’d had lots of rejections for my novels and lost heart for some time and didn’t write for many years.
I then met my second husband who asked why I wasn’t writing anymore. He read through a lot of my old work and told me it was very good and that I shouldn’t stop.
‘Write more novels,’ he said.
My biggest influence has been my husband. He’s the most positive person I know and I’ve learnt so much from him.
I decided to change my genre to romantic comedy as I wanted to write something that would cheer people up. My first novel did fairly well. It was titled ‘Wedding Cake to Turin’ I followed that with ‘Croissants and Jam’ which did exceptionally well.
I’ve now written many romantic comedies. Then came writers block. So I decided to change genre.
Why change genre? Especially when having success.
This has been the question asked by many of my readers. I agree it is quite a change from comedy romance or, as more commonly termed, Chicklit.
The reason? Well as a writer I find many ideas jump into my head and they’re not all romantic comedy. I make notes and file them away.
Then, along came the block.
There is nothing worse than writers block; that frustrating period when you sit and stare at a blank document on your computer. There are the frequent trips to the kitchen. In my case they are frequent trips to the chocolate basket which really should not have so much chocolate in it. But hey ho, it does and the chocolate usually ends up in my stomach, which begins to grow steadily by the day. In fact I’m very surprised that most writers aren’t the size of a house. At the rate I’m going I’ll be the size of Buckingham Palace.
So, as you can see, something had to be done.
So, I dug out all my ideas and there it was; a fantastic premise for a psychological thriller. It had to be written. I knew that. As I progressed I became more and more excited about the novel. Added to that excitement, however, was also apprehension.
What if my readers didn’t like it?
What if it didn’t sell?
But, fortunately for me they have liked it and it is selling very well. I would love more people to see it and read it though so here is what it is about?
REMEMBER ME ~ The gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist
‘A new neighbour becomes a new friend. She looks up to you. She admires you, but is it you she wants? You begin to wonder if she wants your husband, or even your child. But then you realise, she wants your life.’
When Sharni and Tom move into 24 The Pines, it seems like Clare and Chris have the perfect neighbours. Sharni is always there to help, especially with childcare for Clare’s two-year-old, Ben. But Clare can’t shake off the feelings of anxiety that assail her whenever Sharni is near. Is Clare just being overprotective, or are her feelings justified? As Sharni‘s influence touches everyone around her, Clare finds herself fighting for her sanity as well her family’
Purchase Link ~ Remember Me (Currently only 99p)
Author Bio:
Lynda Renham is famous for her romantic comedy novels. She has been called A Comedian in a Book, Chicklit Royalty and A Comic Genius. Her writing style has been likened to Sophie Kinsella but is refreshingly down to earth with characters that become your friends.
Lynda is a prolific writer, blogger and when not writing can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
Lynda lives in Oxfordshire with her second husband and cat.
Her web page: www.renham.co.uk and Twitter: @lyndarenham
