Clare Dugmore: work in progress

Showing posts with label work in progress. Show all posts

Magic at Midnight ARC Sign Up and Writing Update

Happy weekend, everyone!

Spring/ summer looks like it's finally here, as the weather in the UK is warming up. We have plans to go to the park a little later, but first I wanted to write a quick update.

I know I have a blog over on my website, but I think I might use this blog to update about my writing only, and then the one on my site to update about my writing AND personal life.

We'll see how it works out...

The rest of this entry is under a read more cut, so please click on the link to find out more about the Snowy Wings Publishing Magic at Midnight: YA Fairytale Anthology, and how I got on doing CampNaNoWriMo in April.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Thirty-One: Everyone Share Your WIP's Premise

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

(Please note, protagonist takeover week has now finished, and entries are once again written by myself.)

My premise is:

25 yr-old makeup artist falls for rockstar twice her age, and together they have to make their relationship work amidst false newspaper stories about them, his spiteful ex-wife turning up, with their troubled teenage daughter, and her disapproving family.

I'd also like to take this chance to thank Bethany A. Jennings for hosting the WIP Joy Challenge, I've had a lot of fun taking part this month. And thank you to everyone who has commented on my posts either here, on Twitter or on Instagram.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Nine: How Long Do You Expect To Be Working On This WIP?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

(Please note, protagonist takeover week has now finished, and entries are once again written by myself.)

Hopefully not too much longer! lol

I'm on 43k right now, so about half-way there.

When I started writing during NaNoWriMo, I had hoped to have this finished by the end of December, but life got busy.

And while I'm making slow and steady progress now, I also have other things going on including a release in two weeks (!!) and a short-story I'm working on for a charity anthology.

I'll be pretty miffed if I haven't finished the first draft by Easter thought, and aim to get done with revisions etc. by the end of the year.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Eight: Protagonists, What Are You Self-Conscious About?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

(Please note, as this is protagonist takeover week, all posts are written by my age-gap romance protagonist Jade Landon).

I wasn't self-conscious about anything, really, until me and Seth got together.

Now I worry about my age, and what people think when they see us together.

Do I dress and act too immaturely? Do people wonder what he's doing with someone like me, when he used to be married to a model?

Does Seth compare me to his ex-wife?

I've only slept with two people, and though Seth had been married for twenty years, he's still considerably older than me and had been the lead singer of one of England’s most popular rock bands.

I’m sure he has way more experience than I do. What if he has certain … expectations?

The story Courtney sold to the paper hasn't help either. Now I wonder if people think I'm only with Seth for his money.

I know I should only care about what those closest to us think, and mostly I do, but sometimes it's hard to shut out those doubts and insecurities.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Seven: Protagonists, Do You Sympathize With The Antagonist?

Haha! No.

If Courtney has redeeming qualities, she's certainly never shown them.

From my first day at G.E.M network, she's been nothing but mean to me; calling me names, taunting me, complaining my work wasn't as good as my colleagues.

Things have escalated since Seth and I got together. Courtney told the media about our relationship, so that reporters turned up outside the studio, and then she sold a story to one of the papers, saying that I was a gold-digging whore, who was only using Seth.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Six: Protagonists,Tell Us About Where You Live

I live in the one of the biggest cities in England, right in the heart of the West Midlands.

The main feature of my city is a massive street that leads to the town centre and shopping area.

That street runs parallel to the canal, and is famous for its nightlife, being home to numerous night clubs, bars and restaurants. As well as the G.E.M Network TV studios, where I work as a makeup artist.

I'd love to be able to afford an apartment closer to the studio, but sadly, I have to live further out, on the (relatively) cheaper outskirts of the city. Not that I mind too much, as it's a bit quieter, but still super close to work.

(Author's notes: The city described above is loosely based on Birmingham, UK, but with a few liberties taken for the purpose of fiction. The main street that has all the night clubs etc. is based on Birmingham's own Broad Street.)

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Five: Protagonists, Share A Line In The WIP You Were Proud To Say

As difficult as it was to do, my proudest line was saying: “I’d like to report a suspected drugging and attempted sexual assault, please.”

The follow-up was probably the worst experience of my life, but I had to do the right thing.

Too many rapes and sexual assaults go unreported, because the person is too scared or thinks they won't be believed.

But I couldn't let the guys who drugged my drink at a club, and then tried to take me away, get away with it.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Four: Protagonists, What's Your Favourite Way To Relax?

At the end of a long day in the studio, nothing beats going home to a freshly cooked meal - or takeout - and then curling up in front of the TV, or with a good book.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Three: Protagonists, What's One Thing You'd Change In Your Past?

My last serious relationship.

We both ended up wanting different things, but neither of us were open enough about our feelings, and what we wanted, assuming we were in sync with each other. It ended with both of us getting very hurt, losing the other from our lives entirely and wasting two years of our lives.

I know people say you learn from mistakes, but if I could go back and change how things went in that relationship, I would in a heartbeat. I'd be more open and honest about what I want, and then hopefully no one would end up hurt.

It's a mistake I won't make again ...

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twenty-Two: Protagonists, Describe Yourself in Five Words

Oh jeez, way to put a girl on the spot. Thanks. So, I'm loyal, independent, creative, friendly and cheerful.

WIP Joy Challenge - Days Nineteen, Twenty and Twenty-One

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

I'm playing catch up on the WIP Joy Challenge today, as I was sick Thursday and Friday, and didn't feel like posting.

So here's Days Nineteen, Twenty and Twenty-One!

I love my world or setting because it's loosely based on the closest city to me, Birmingham. All my books are based on my loose interpretation of the West Midlands, simply because I know the area so well, as it's easy for me to draw inspiration from real life places. For example, one of Birmingham's biggest spots for night clubs, bars etc. is Broad Street and the surrounding area along the canal. The hotspot became the perfect setting for a TV studio (in fact, I think there actually is one near by or used to be), and because of all the clubs, bars etc. Jade and friends have plenty to do when they're not working.

The relationship I root hardest for is Jade and Seth. They are the main characters! I just really want them to work it out, despite all the shit that's thrown their way. Even though there's a gap of twenty-five years between them, I think they're really good for each other, and when people stop selling stories about them to their paper, and Seth's ex-wife backs off, I think they'll be really happy together.

I'm most impatient to hear reader reactions to Seth and Jade's romance, and Seth as a love interest. It's not common in contemporary romance to have a love interest twice the age of the heroine, and I hope people aren't put off by the fact Seth is in his fifties (there's some hot guys in their fifties!).

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Eighteen: Share an Example of Your Best Prose.

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

I've shared a few snippets already, but I'm always up for sharing more.

Enjoy ...

“It’s just a thing, it’ll pass.” I buried my head again, and even as I closed my eyes, I knew it wasn’t true. When it was ‘just a thing’ your heart didn’t flip-flop inside your chest when the person smiled at you, and the days they weren’t around didn’t suck just because they weren’t there. This was way more than just a thing.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Seventeen: I Love The Way I Depict My Characters Because ...

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

They're real!

I hope readers will connect with Jade and think "this could be me/ someone I know."

I want her words, actions and emotions to resonate with readers, so they feel what she feels.

An example of that is this scene:

I woke up with the worst headache I’d ever had in my life. My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton wool, and my eyelids were stuck together. I forced my eyes open, and looked around.

I was lying in a strange bed, in a room I didn’t recognize.

Images of the night before flicked through my mind, and I saw the two guys who’d obviously slipped something into my drink, and then tried to take me from the club.

Hot claws gripped my body, and I threw off the bed covers. Leaping to my feet, I found I was still fully clothed apart from my shoes, which had been placed neatly on the floor at the foot of the bed.

My heart hammered, and I creeped from the room. As I stepped out into the hall, I heard snoring coming from the room where the door was half open.

Terrified of what I’d discover if I looked in, but desperate to know whose house I was at, I peered around the door.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Sixteen: I love How I Describe Things When ...

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

For me, I love how I describe things when there's the perfect amount of realism, that will hopefully have the author nodding their head long with the book, thinking "I could have said/ thought that."

“Is someone dating a person older then themselves against the G.E.M rules? Because, I’m quite sure inter-staff relationships are allowed, and as I’ve already said, twice, Seth is separated from his wife. Many people start dating again while separated. Or did you have this same conversation with Philippa Johnson when she was going through her divorce, and started seeing someone?”

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Fifteen: At It's Best, my WIP's Dialogue Is ...

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

I hope when people read my age-gap romance the find the dialogue funny, honest, and realistic.

Here's a snippet, what do you think?

I turned to Maria. “So, what’s the score with you and Rich?”

Maria laughed. “What? Me and Rich?”

The alcohol making me forget my earlier promise, I said, “Yeah, he likes you.”

Maria’s eyes widened and her body went ridged. “Seriously?”

“That’s what he said to me earlier. But shit-” The memory came flooding back. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“Oopsie,” Kelly interjected, and we all started giggling.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Fourteen: Which Characters Gt Along Worst With Each Other?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

I've already touched upon the fact that Jade and her co-worker Courtney have a mutual hatred for each other.

Here's a scene that really exemplifies that:

As I deepened the kiss, I heard a screech from behind us.

“Oh my god. So, the newspapers weren’t lying. You two really are together?”

My heart felt like led. Of all the people who had to see me and Seth kissing, it was Courtney Sinclair.

I turned around to face her, my eyes narrowing. “Yeah, we are. Do you have a problem with that?”

“A problem? This is fucking hilarious. Miss high and mighty, having me about accidentally showing a little more of myself than I’d intended on a night out, and here she is making moves on a man twice her age. What’s the matter, Jade? No one your own age interested in you? Or do you hope you can get your claws in good and proper, and score yourself a nice sugar daddy?”

Before Seth could stop me, I’d jumped up off the couch and charged towards Courtney, my hand hovered just inches away from slapping that smug smile off her face.

I stopped myself just in time, let out a breath, and stepped back. “Not even you’re worth losing my job over.”

“Oh, you’ll lose your job. When I tell HR you raised your hand to me, you’re out of here.”

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Thirteen: What's A Message About Relationships in your Book?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

The core key message about relationships in my age-gap romance is not to over-think things, or assume what the other person is thinking/ feeling, and to keep the lines of communication open.

Seth sums this up perfectly in a conversation with Jade early on in their relationship:

“Thank you for being honest with me.”

“I want us to have a chance. If we decided later down the road there isn’t a spark there or whatever, we’ll deal with it. But I couldn’t bare thinking I’d messed things up before they even got going by not being open with you. That’s one mistake Tessa and I made, and I don’t intend to repeat it.”

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Twelve: What Was Your Antagonist's Past Like?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

My age-gap romance has two antagonists.

The first is soap actress Courtney Sinclair, who DOES NOT get along with my protagonist Jade at all; in fact, I'd go as far as saying she bullies Jade.

I haven't given much thought to why Courtney is the way she is. She's just one of these arrogant people who believes the sun shines out of her arse, and everyone should bend to her every whim, so when someone doesn't, she goes to war with them.

I guess it stems from growing up as a spoiled child and teen, getting anything she wanted, including lots of attention because of her natural good looks.

The second antagonist is Seth's ex-wife, Tessa, a former Page-3 model, who is actually vary similar to Courtney on the surface, but the reason behind her behaviour runs much deeper.

Their relationship was the classic tale of rock-star marries model, that you see a lot in real life celebrities.

Tessa was happy to live the celebrity life, and hoped her marriage to Seth would further her career. But after a few years of her aspirations of being an actress not taking off, Tessa decided instead that she'd devote her life to being a mother, and quickly convinced Seth to try for a baby - even though he was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time.

However, motherhood wasn't what she imagined, either, and with Seth still away a lot (first in rehab and then trying to reignite his music career) Tessa became bored and lonely, and turned to alcohol and partying to combat this.

Eventually their marriage broke down, and when Tessa shows up the the story, they're in the middle of a divorce.

She doesn't want to be with Seth anymore, but she can't stand to see him happy with someone else, either, when she is so miserable, so she tries to cause as much trouble between Jade and Seth as possible.

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Eleven: Share a Line About Love or Hatred

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

Here's a snippet from early on in my age-gap romance, where one of Jade's friends is talking about how great it would be if their whole group each had boyfriends.

“Okay, but my point still stands. Suggesting me and Mike hook up is like saying a penguin would enjoy a trip to the Sahara. Never going to happen. And besides, we don’t all need to be coupled off, you know?”

“Yeah, but it would be fun, wouldn’t it? Going out on double dates and stuff.”

“I guess, but I don’t even know if Chloe and Jon will get to the dating stage, they might just be fuckbuddies. And Kelly only just met Carl. Don’t count your chickens before they’re omelettes.”

Maria sighed. “I know. I can’t help it though. I just want everyone to find their true love, get married and live happily ever after.”

“Are you still drunk or have you seen one too many Disney movies?” Shaking my head, I climbed out of bed. “I’m going to see if Chloe and Kelly are awake. It’s time we started thinking about getting ready for work.”

WIP Joy Challenge - Day Ten: Anyone Suffering From A Broken Heart?

For the month of January, I'll be taking part in the WIP Joy Challenge, created by Bethany A. Jennings (found via a share from Adam.C.Macdonald).

None of my characters are suffering from a broken heart, but both Jade and Seth have issues from their previously relationships that get in the way of them moving forward in their new relationship.

Here's what Seth has to say on the failing of his marriage:

“I have no intention of ever going back to Tessa. Yes, I was in love with her once, and she’ll always have a place in my heart, but whatever she and I had died a long time ago.”

The tears were obvious in his eyes, and my throat felt thick knowing I’d contributed by probing too deeply.

“Thank you for being honest with me.”

“I want us to have a chance. If we decided later down the road there isn’t a spark there or whatever, we’ll deal with it. But I couldn’t bare thinking I’d messed things up before they even got going by not being open with you. That’s one mistake Tessa and I made, and I don’t intend to repeat it.”

“Can I ask what happened? You said you loved her once, and well, twenty years is a long time.”

Seth sighed and raked his hands through his hair.

“I’ve asked myself that question a lot. I guess the simplest answer is, we grew apart. We weren’t the same people we were when we got married. Somewhere between having Alexa, and her growing up, what me and Tessa wanted became different.”

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