Henriette Gyland

The launch of Up Close

Posted on December 19, 2012 by henriettegyland

Venue: Waterstones Uxbridge

Date: 13^th December 2012, from 6.30 – 8 pm

First of all I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and helped me celebrate the launch of my first novel. Up Close has now been let loose on an unsuspecting public!

Also, a very special thanks to the lovely staff at Waterstones, Lance and Christine, and to fellow writer Evonne Wareham for introducing me so enthusiastically. For a moment her praise actually made me think she was talking about a completely different person altogether!

I’d like to share some pictures from the evening with you, courtesy of photographer Charys Bestley. I hope they speak for themselves.

Me signing books (yay!)

Chatting to Barrie Nathan

Pia & Richard Fenton talk to Janet Gover

With Maria Sztayer

With Tansy Hawksley

Dominy chats to Ken, Lyn Vernham in the background

Rosemary McLean, Jane Coulthard & Fiona McIntyre. Mark Summers is browsing in the background

Richard Fenton & Tim Aridizzone with Paul Vernham, Pia Fenton, Rachel Skinner & Lyn Vernham

Richard Fenton & Tim Ardizzone with Paul Vernham, Pia Fenton, Rachel Skinner & Lyn Vernham

Zofia Millar, Alison Moat & Maria Sztayer, with Jan Sprenger, Cara Cooper & husband Andy to the right

Katrina Strachan, Nicola Wetherall & Lia O’Sullivan (the real Lia!)

Liz Fenwick, Janet Gover & Liz Harris

Evonne Wareham giving her introduction

Evonne Wareham

Me reading aloud (and looking terribly serious!)

The knitting group – Vicki Rawstorne, Fiona McIntyre, Sushila Shah, Stella Ward & Dominy Browning

Lyn, John Hocking, Rachel, Richard, Janet, Barbara Alderton, and Dawn Platten (in blue) listening in rapt attention (I hope!)

Tim with Debra & Kim Hughes

Dawn Platten & Rosemary McLean

Barrie Nathan & Maria-Grazia Zingale

Jane Coulthard, who provided feedback to an early version of the cover

Jane Coulthard, who gave her feedback to an early version of the cover

Evonne Wareham, and her former colleagues who kindly turned too!

Evonne Wareham, and her former colleagues who kindly turned up too!

Beta reader Mike Lawley, Hari Lawley and moi

Barbara Alderton, Liz Harris & Jan Sprenger

The general throng. Spot Cara Cooper’s gorgeous purple coat!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Evonne Wareham, Up Close, Waterstones Uxbridge | 28 Comments

Fun at the RNA Winter Party

Posted on December 3, 2012 by henriettegyland

I apologise for being late with this, but here are some photos from the Romantic Novelists’ Association annual Winter Party, which was held on the 21^st of November at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London.

Once again the organisers, Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson, had put on a fabulous event. The wine was flowing, the canapés looked fantastic (I didn’t have any as I’d already eaten a whole pizza…), and it was great to catch up with friends and colleagues. I didn’t get to speak to as many people as I’d have liked, and my phone battery died on me so I couldn’t take that many photos.

However, I’ll let the ones I took speak for themselves. That’s all for today. I hope to catch you again next week.

The IMech at One Birdcage Walk (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The fabulous Julie Cohen and me (photo taken by Liz Harris)

Lyn Vernham, Marketing Director at Choc Lit, with Margaret James and Valerie Holmes

Gilli Allan has a flair for the dramatic

Chris Stovell, me, and Luke Roberts clutching our wine glasses

Celia Anderson, Jules Wake, and Tracie Blythe

Hannah Lambie, Linda Chamberlain, a very pregnant Talli Roland, and me (hmm, I seem to be in a lot of these pictures…)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Romantic Novelists' Association | Leave a comment

So much to do, so little time…

Posted on November 19, 2012 by henriettegyland

Tick, tock…

According to Wikipedia, time management is defined as “the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity”. Now, that’s all very neatly summed up, but what does it mean in actual terms?

There’s an old saying that if you want something done, you ask a busy person. Or, put in a simple formula which must have mathematicians and quantum physicists tying their stomachs in knots:

the more you have to do

the less time in which you have to do it

the more you get done

This goes against the laws of nature, and it is counter-intuitive as well. It is also completely true. (At this point the adversary (read: Other Half) wanders in and says that this is only half the picture: the more that gets left undone too. There speaks the Great Procrastinator!)

On a shelf above my desk and my laptop I have a row of old diaries. Not the kind in which you may pour your heart out over the cruel world and how resentful you are that you didn’t get a Malibu Barbie on your 9^th birthday. No, these are desk diaries. Simple ones with a week displayed over 2 pages, either from Ryman’s, WH Smith, or similar shops. There’s even a fancy one covered in purple suede which I was given as a present one Christmas.

Each week I write down what I need to do. This includes anything from specific deadlines, appointments, or tasks which need to be met/kept/done on a specific day, to something which I’ll have to do at some point during that week. I write in black or blue ink, then tick each item off with a red pen as I go along. Very urgent/important tasks are also marked with an “NB!” in the margin, then highlighted with a yellow marker pen. My favourite days are the ones with lots of red all over them! (Don’t worry, I am only trying to kid myself so I don’t pull all my hair out). And I keep the weekends as free as I can, to leave room for family life, social life, and things that need doing around the house, like (groan) washing, etc (yup – more lists).

Occasionally I need to “carry over” a task to the following week. I do this by drawing an arrow pointing to the right, indicating that the task has been transferred to the next page turned over, and then I write it down on a suitable (read: realistic) day that week. I try to limit what I carry over, but it’s not always possible. Certifiable? Probably! But it works for me.

How do you manage your time?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged procrastination, time management | 22 Comments

A step far back in time

Posted on November 9, 2012 by henriettegyland

A few weeks ago we decided to visit Stonehenge. Although I’ve lived in this country for many years, I’d never actually been there, so when my sister came to stay and expressed an interest in going there, we hired a 9-seater monstrosity and piled two families into it.

People have told me not to bother with Stonehenge. “You can’t get near it”, they point out. “It’s full of tourists”, they add. All of it true. Sure, it is a tourist attraction, but by the time we arrived late on a Sunday afternoon, having visited Avebury and West Kennet Long Barrow (other Neolithic sites in Wiltshire) first, their numbers had dwindled to only the hardiest individuals. And yes, you can’t touch the stones or sit on them, but instead have to follow a walkway around it at distance of at least 10 meters in places.

None of that matters.

The sense of awe descends as soon as you see it in the distance. I won’t bore you with the history of the place – that’s what Wikipedia and other media are for – but merely recount how it affected me. The moment I set foot on that walkway, with a hand-held recording borrowed from the ticket office, I was transported back in time.

And it was clear I wasn’t the only person who felt that way. Despite the number of visitors present, no one was talking loudly, no one was running or shoving or littering. Not a single kid was screaming. People spoke in hushed tones as if the algae-covered sarsen stones were sleeping giants which might wake at any time. Even the whir from the many cameras was eerily subdued, swallowed up by the forbidding rock faces.

The most amazing feeling was how the stories just welled up in me, stories to bridge the huge gaps in history, and all the things we don’t know anything about, but can only guess at. It left my head spinning and cursing the fact that my fingers were far too cold to write any of it down. It also made me want to re-read a series of books I read when they were first published: the Earth’s Children series by Jean M Auel, of which The Clan of the Cave Bear is Book 1. They were hugely enjoyable and meticulously researched.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Jean M Auel, Stonehenge | 10 Comments

The Next Big Thing

Posted on October 26, 2012 by henriettegyland

Image courtesy of R Ardizzone

Last week my friend and colleague Christina Courtenay – author of wonderfully romantic novels set in locations as far apart as the Far East and Scotland – kindly ‘tagged’ me in her post about ‘The Next Big Thing’. It’s now my turn to answer ten questions about my forthcoming book, and to tag some other authors who will tell you about their new novels on their own blogs. So here are the Q&A’s:

What is the title of your next book? Up Close, and it’s out on the 7^th of December.

Where did the idea come from for the book? It was a combination of visiting the North Norfolk coast, reading about soldiers returning from the Gulf, and imagining Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Ophelia in a slightly different set-up. From those very different strands, tossed together in my head, the idea began to take shape.

What genre does your book fall under? Romantic suspense.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a film version? Nice idea, but it’s probably not going to happen! However, if I had my way, I would dearly like to see Clive Owen and Romola Garai pair up, with Helen Mirren playing the mother. We can but dream!

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? “Too close for comfort?” Meaning, when you allow yourself to become close to another person, who knows what you might discover about yourself?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? It will be published by the independent publisher Choc Lit.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? I wrote the first draft a few years ago, then left it in a bottom drawer because it wasn’t quite right and I didn’t know what to do with it. Later, when I’d heard of Choc Lit, I rewrote the story, this time including a male viewpoint, which actually made it a better book. Problem solved!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I was incredibly chuffed when it was hailed as “Nora Roberts territory” by The Bookseller! I hope they’re right…

Who or what inspired you to write this book? The sea which I both love and fear. It seemed natural for me to give the main character, Lia, the same anxieties.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The hero, Aidan, is absolutely gorgeous!

Now I’m going to tag the following authors:-

Monica Fairview, author of Regency novels, who is currently working on a time-slip adventure novel set during the Spanish Civil war. Her blog is at http://monicafairview.blogspot.co.uk/

and

Juliet Greenwood, who writes time-slip family drama sprinkled with a touch of ‘Downton Abbey’ and the novels of Kate Morton. See http://julietgreenwoodauthor.wordpress.com/

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

An exciting conference

Posted on October 11, 2012 by henriettegyland

Stained glass window in Fyvie Hall

Perhaps it’s appropriate that my first blog post should be about books and writing, so I’ll take this opportunity to report back from the Historical Novel Society Conference which was held at the stunning venue of University of Westminster on the 28^th to the 30^thSeptember.

It was FANTASTIC, with many interesting talks featuring authors, publishers, and booksellers, and a chance to meet well-known authors, such as Barbara Erskine, Barbara Ewing, Bernard Cornwell, C W Gortner, Diana Gabaldon, Elizabeth Chadwick, Lindsey Davis, Margaret George, Philippa Gregory, and Sarah Dunant just to mention a few. There were even re-enactors present, which lent a note of authenticity to the surroundings. Here are a few photos:

Philippa Gregory

Napoleonic soldiers

Friends at the Banquet – Sue Moorcroft, Myra Kersner and Anne-Marie Ugland

Catriona Robb and myself

Gillian Bagwell, Diana Gabaldon and Bernard Cornwell reading sex scenes

On yer bike, mate!

Court jester talking loudly on his mobile in a public place (go to About Me, and you’ll know what I think of that!)

When I wasn’t in plenary session (or eating!), I attended a couple of workshops. One was “Historical Fiction for the Young Adult Market” on Saturday led by Helen Hart and V Campbell, who provided an interesting insight into this very specific market. I chose this workshop because I’m always looking for books to entice my children with.

On Sunday thriller writers VM Whitworth and Rory Clements spoke about the challenges of writing historical thrillers in the workshop “The Thrill of the Chase”. I don’t think I’ve ever learnt so much in one hour about Anglo-Saxon coins and murder most horrid in dark Tudor alleyways!

Authors Christina Courtenay, Jean Fullerton and Liz Harris signing books

Lindsey Davis gave an amusing and anecdotal closing address

To sum up, it was a fun, informative, and quite exhausting weekend. The future of historical fiction looks bright, which is good news for both readers and writers alike.

Ahem, somebody left their rifle behind by mistake…

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog!

Posted on September 23, 2012 by henriettegyland

Too busy trying to get to grips with figuring out WordPress, getting the children to bed, and meet a rather tight deadline to say much right now, but please come back and visit, because there will be updates to come, what with the HNS Conference this weekend and all!
Hx

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments