A new phase!

Welcome, readers and friends all, to the world of The Craig Lowrie Chronicles!

The first novel in the series, The Wolf of Dalriada, has been published by Troubador Books and is due for launch on 28/11/2016. Confusingly for me, I have already sold fifty copies! Still finding out how all this works.

I have also had created a new website devoted to my fiction work. Visit Elizabeth Gates as Author  to find out more. And I have been encouraged to set up a new Facebook page for The Wolf of Dalriada. Please visit and like.

But, when the world of marketing gets too exciting for me, I take myself off to work on the second novel in the series. I have not yet dreamt up an appropriate title so its current working title is MAL 2. Not very attractive but at least it’s short and easy to find on my computer. I’ve already written 35,000 words of the first draft of MAL 2 and am currently wrestling with research into bull-handling. Life is so full of interest. . .

My Writing Process - A literary blog tour!

My Writing Process

Hope this turns into a blog post. Not too sure what I'm doing but wanted to announce that I've just been tagged in a literary blog tour by Jacqueline Farrell . If you ever thought vampires and crones were not for you, Jackie could change your mind!

As for me, well, consider the following:

1.What am I working on?

I am writing a trilogy entitled The Craig Lowrie Chronicles, and - being me - I have started in the middle with (working title) The Marie Antoinette Factor. In 1793 - the year of Marie Antoinette's execution - a French seamstress and a clan chief meet on the west coast of Scotland. Danger from sources at home and abroad threaten them and the novel explores how they adapt to and - in some cases - master change imposed upon them by huge external forces. With lots of fancy footwork, the use of a dirk and glimpses of exquisite embroidery. Read on  . . .

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? In a word, depth. The novel's characters, good or evil, make mistakes and work through them. There is also humour in the sub-plots. And, although the conventions of historical romance are the starting points - and I am not breaking any moulds - the story moves on from there.

3.Why do I write what I do? Because I am a story-teller but I also like to explore issues and follow my characters where they lead within that context. The whole experience is something of a box of delights: art, craft, following trails of research and so on and so forth.

4. How does my writing process work?

Office hours for research and planning (I even use Excel). But I like to start by telling the story and that process can happen in a notebook in the queue at the supermarket. Once I have the plot draft (story) complete, I go back and polish till it shines. This could go on for ever so I use a peer critique group to give me deadlines! Having been a published journalist for 25 years, I'm a bit pavlovian about the word 'Deadline!'

Many thanks to Jackie Farrell - and do visit her website - for inviting me to contribute to this blog tour. I'll post when 'The Marie Antoinette Factor' is close to publication.

In the meantime, I'd like to nominate a poet to take up the challenge. Nikki Bennett is a well-known poet, appearing in a number of anthologies. Check out her beautiful poetry  at www.nikkibennettpoems.com and look out for her blog on this literary blog tour  later in September (I'll post when I know the exact date!)_

A new start!

I've just started writing a novel again - well, two actually. And this after decades of Writers' Block Blues. Several things have prompted this. Joining writers' groups has brought me out of the woodwork and positive helpful critique from the members has given me confidence. Also, I've finally recognised that I produced my first novel (100,000 words of it) when I should have been revising for my O-level Chemistry and my O-level Physics. That little excursion taught me a lot about writing. And a rather unpleasant fact about life - to wit, ignore science at your peril. My life as a medical journalist - 25 years' worth - would have been far easier if I'd spent time doing the groundwork in the School Laboratories. But hey! The enthusiasms of youth - I wanted to write a novel, couldn't help myself writing a novel, so I did. And, at this point, the exponential parallels in all our lives should be jangling.