Finally I can reveal the title for my fifth novel…
Here it is…
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Tag Archives: Miranda Dickinson
And the title for my new book is…
Posted in Author questions, Books, San Francisco, Vlogs, Writing
Tagged 24th Oct, announcement, Avon, book 5 title, HarperCollins, Miranda Dickinson, news, writing
Miranda Writes 11 – Book 5 characters, tenses, writing rituals and more!
All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I’ll tell you about one of the supporting cast for Book 5 and answer your questions on everything from writing rituals, good vs evil characters and which tense to write in…
With the sun finally appearing, this vlog is in my very sunny garden this week. Apologies for the blustery wind and couple of edits (I got rather carried away nattering to you in the sunshine!)
Thanks so much for your amazing questions, which this week come from the lovely Kirsty at the awesome bookish site Novelicious (click the name to visit), Dot from the equally fabulous Dot Scribbles Blog (click the name to visit), together with twitter lovelies @RosieBBooks and @Rachel_Fusion.
So, without further ado, may I present my very sunny vlog!
p.s. This week’s YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, ‘Here comes the sun…’
Miranda Writes 10: Agents, plot, book covers – your questions answered!
All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I’m answering your questions on everything from whether to have an agent or not, my new book cover and how long it takes to write a book…
I asked for your questions and you responded with lots of great ones -so here they are! Ever wondered how many copies of a paperback book are printed in an edition? Or how many hours each writing session should be? Or how to take a basic plot outline and make it into a story structure that works? I answer all of these this week!
I’m always looking for your questions for my vlogs and asking one couldn’t be easier: just leave me a comment on this post, or email me at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com
Enjoy!
P.s. This week’s YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled: ‘Catching some well-earned zzzzzzzzs’
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged agents, author, Avon, book covers, books, editing, HarperCollins, Miranda Dickinson, paperbacks, plot, publishing, questions, structure, writing
Enter The New Rose Prize 2013 NOW!
The New Rose Prize 2013 is officially OPEN for entries!
I am thrilled to announce that the competition for unpublished writers is now open and looking for entries in the following categories:
The New Rose Crime Prize 2013 – judged by MEL SHERRATT. Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words and you must not have had fiction of any length published before, either self-published or traditionally published. To enter, send your story as a Word document to: mirandawurdy@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING CRIME by midnight (BST) on 31st August 2013.
The New Rose Prize for Literary Fiction 2013 – judged by JAMIE GUINEY. Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words and you must not have had fiction of any length published before, either self-published or traditionally published. To enter, send your story as a Word document to: mirandawurdy@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING LITERARY by midnight (BST) on 31st August 2013.
The New Rose Prize for Romantic Comedy – judged by MIRANDA DICKINSON. Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words and you must not have had fiction of any length published before, either self-published or traditionally published. To enter, send your story as a Word document to: mirandawurdy@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING ROMANTIC COMEDY by midnight (BST) on 31st August 2013.
The New Rose Prize for Young Adult Fiction 2013 – judged by TAMSYN MURRAY. Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words and you must not have had fiction of any length published before, either self-published or traditionally published. To enter, send your story as a Word document to: mirandawurdy@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING YOUNG ADULT by midnight (BST) on 31st August 2013.
The New Rose First Chapter Award 2013 – judged by MIRANDA DICKINSON. Chapters must be no longer than 3,000 words and you must not have had fiction of any length published before, either self-published or traditionally published. To enter, send your story as a Word document to: mirandawurdy@gmail.com WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING FIRST CHAPTER by midnight (BST) on 31st August 2013.
THE PRIZES – each winner will receive a place on my online writers’ course (worth £80), plus a chapter critique from the category judge and free books. I am hoping to add to these prizes soon, so keep watching for details. All winners and two runners-up from each category will see their entries featured on my blog http://www.coffeeandroses.blogspot.com (all rights will be maintained by the authors of the stories).
It is FREE to enter for anyone aged 15 and over, and entry is open worldwide. The New Rose Prize is specifically for unpublished writers. Authors whose works of fiction have been published before, including self-published either singularly or as part of an anthology, given free in any format (including Amazon, GoodReads and iBooks, etc), or traditionally published singularly or as part of an anthology are not eligible to enter. (Please note, if you have had non-fiction or poetry published before you ARE eligible to enter. The no publication rule only applies to works of fiction of any length.) The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT (BST) on SATURDAY 31ST AUGUST 2013. Please ensure you write the title of the category you wish to enter in the subject line of your email entry.
You can enter as many categories as you like, but please send each as a separate email. Entries with multiple stories attached to one email will not be considered eligible.
GOOD LUCK!
Miranda Writes 9: Enter The New Rose Prize 2013!
All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I’ll tell you all about my writing competition for unpublished writers, The New Rose Prize 2013 and bring you exciting details of my sparkly online writing course, which is coming soon…
2013 will see the return of The New Rose Prize for unpublished writers! I’m extending the competition this year to include separate prizes for Crime, Literary, Romantic Comedy and YA short stories, plus for the first time I’m adding a First Chapter award for the most impressive first chapter of a novel (open genre). I’m so excited to be bringing this competition back after a cracking opening year in 2011, which was won by Naomi Frisby. There is a stellar line-up of judges and awesome prizes. Submissions will open on WEDNESDAY 8th MAY and close on Saturday 31st August, with the shortlist announced on 6th September and winners announced on 20th September.
My judges are: TAMSYN MURRAY for the YA Prize, MEL SHERRATT for the Crime Prize, JAMIE GUINEY for the Literary Fiction Prize and I’ll be judging both the Romantic Comedy Prize and the First Chapter Award.
The announcement of the official opening for submissions, plus all the entry details for New Rose Prize 2013 will be published HERE at 1PM on WEDNESDAY 8TH MAY – so make sure you check back then!
I’ll tell you more in this week’s vlog below – enjoy!
p.s. This week’s YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, ‘New Summer Hat’…
Posted in Competitions, Vlogs, Writing
Tagged competition, crime, first chapter, literary, Miranda Dickinson, New Rose Prize 2013, new writers, prizes, romantic comedy, short stories, writing, writing course, YA
Miranda Writes 8 – Edits, inspiration and winners
All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I announce the final two winners of my #getinvolved challenge, talk about edits and answer your questions!
After a completely crazy couple of weeks, the first edit on Book 5 (still awaiting a title) is done and I’ve recovered enough to be almost coherent!
So, without further ado, here is this week’s vlog – hope you like it!
Enjoy! xx
p.s. This week’s YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, ‘Oy! Oo nicked me teef?’)
Posted in Author questions, Vlogs
Tagged advice, Avon, book 5, books, get involved, HarperCollins, inspiration, Miranda Dickinson, questions, romantic comedy, San Francisco, writer, writing
San Francisco – Painted Ladies at Alamo Square
I’m posting a photo (or set of photos) each day, telling you about the location and where you can expect to find it in Book 5! And even though my new book is waiting for its title, you can actually pre-order it here (Waterstones) and here (The Book Depository) – I know, how crazy is that?
Today, I’d like to take you one of my favourite places: Alamo Square.
Set right at the top of one of San Francisco’s many hills, Alamo Square is home to a beautiful park and a row of gorgeous houses, known as The Painted Ladies. It’s also known locally as ‘Postcard Row’ because it’s such a hub for tourists. The houses are so beautiful that no matter where you point your camera you’ll get a perfect picture and Bob and I fell in love with them.
Each house is decorated differently, creating a fabulous pastel confection of colour. This is something we noticed right across the city, even with newer buildings. I wonder if it has something to do with being by the sea – it reminded me very much of Dartmouth in Devon, where the houses are all painted in different colours. Whatever the reason, it gives the whole city a real sense of fun, which I loved.
At the centre of the square is a beautiful park and here you can see amazing views of the city – from the TransAmerica Pyramid and the Financial District…
…to the beautiful dome of City Hall…
In Book 5 there is a scene I love set here, where Nell meets a Japanese tourist who believes he is the long-lost brother of a very famous American crooner whose song about San Francisco is famous the world over. I hope you’ll love him when you meet him!
More tomorrow – if you like what you see, leave me a comment! xx
Posted in Books, Photos, San Francisco
Tagged Alamo Square, book 5, houses, Miranda Dickinson, San Francisco, The Painted Ladies, views
San Francisco – Food, glorious food!
I’m posting a photo (or set of photos) each day, telling you about the location and where you can expect to find it in Book 5! And even though my new book is waiting for its title, you can actually pre-order it here (Waterstones) and here (The Book Depository) – I know, how crazy is that?
Food is an enormous part of life in San Francisco. It seemed there were restaurants, cafes and diners on every corner and the choice was endless. Bob, as you can imagine, was in his element, and where I had a list of places I wanted to visit while we were there, Bob had a list of food he wanted to try!
Food also plays a key role in Book 5, as you will discover. So actually, visiting lots of amazing places to eat was really essential research (*innocent face*). And everything has abbreviations, which really amused me. So, for instance, the pancakes above are a ‘Two, Two and Two’: two pancakes (short stack, y’all), two rashers of bacon and two eggs. I also had an ‘SBK’ – a crepe with strawberries, bananas and kiwi fruit. But the best one I came across is below:
Kind of speaks for itself, really!
I found this sign on Haight Street in Haight-Ashbury, which is where Nell will stay during her two month trip to San Francisco and sums up the fab sense of humour I experienced all over San Francisco but especially in this neighbourhood. More on that soon!
Hope you’re enjoying these posts – leave me a comment if you are! See you tomorrow xx
Posted in Books, Photos, San Francisco
Tagged book 5, cafes, diners, food, Haight-Ashbury, Miranda Dickinson, pancakes, restaurants, San Francisco
San Francisco – Amazing people
I’m posting a photo (or set of photos) each day, telling you about the location and where you can expect to find it in Book 5! And even though my new book is waiting for its title, you can actually pre-order it here (Waterstones) and here (The Book Depository) – I know, how crazy is that?
Today, I’d like to introduce you to some of the amazing people we met on our trip…
This is Tony. He could be Kenny G’s cousin (but I don’t think he is). Tony was playing saxophone in the lovely Ghirardelli Square (more on this place soon). As with every other busker in the city, he had a great PA sound system! You might remember him from the most recent episode of my vlog (he was playing out at the end). Being a musician myself I was so impressed with the talent of the many street musicians we met – and also by the real regard local people have for music.
This is the very grumpy lady who sells hand-knitted hats by the Powell turntable at Fisherman’s Wharf. I don’t know her name, but I was fascinated by the way she could serve people and carry on knitting at the same time…
This guy is a comedy legend. He was playing to entertain the long line of people waiting for the cable cars at the Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround at Fisherman’s Wharf. He had a great line in wry humour, thanking the people in the queue for ‘seeking out my exclusive gig’ and suggesting that the more one dollar bills people donated into his bucket, the faster he could make the cable cars arrive. His humour is the inspiration for Marty – a philosophising taxi driver and one of the regulars at Annie’s diner in Haight Ashbury (where Nell will volunteer to work during her San Francisco stay). Classic line: ‘My father always used to say something to me, and that thing I will share with you now: “Son,” he used to say, “wherever you go, there you are.” I like to live by that motto.’
This is Frank and his dog, Jaq (the ‘Q’ is very important, apparently). I met them at The Warming Hut at West Bluff, in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, as Bob and I were enjoying a takeaway coffee in the sun, gazing out over the San Francisco Bay. To be precise, I met Jaq first when he trotted across the sea wall to say hello. As with everyone we met in San Francisco, they were very friendly and Frank told me how lucky we were to have a clear day. Dogs were everywhere in San Francisco, but especially here and Crissy Field park in the distance, where local people come to hang out, work out, enjoy BBQs and walk their dogs.
More coming tomorrow. Leave me a comment below! xx
Posted in Photos, San Francisco
Tagged book 5, buskers, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, hats, Miranda Dickinson, music, people, San Francisco, stalls
San Francisco – The Golden Gate Bridge
I’m posting a photo (or set of photos) each day, telling you about the location and where you can expect to find it in Book 5! And even though my new book is waiting for its title, you can actually pre-order it here (Waterstones) and here (The Book Depository) – I know, how crazy is that?
Today, let me introduce you to the stunningly gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge…
During our stay in San Francisco, we saw this amazing structure from many angles – here (above) from the viewing point at the head of The Presidio National Park, on a boat going underneath it, walking by the side of it at West Bluff (where the bridge joins the land), peeking through the houses and buildings at it from high up on Alamo Park (more on that soon) and at the end of streets as we climbed up San Francisco hills on the cable cars.
It’s very strange to see it for real after seeing it in so many photos, TV programmes and films and I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful it would be. Often, the tops of its towers are shrouded in mist which hangs across the San Francisco Bay and makes the mountains look as if they are rising out of the clouds. But this day was really clear and the views were stunning.
And, of course, you have to attempt the comedy bridge shot photo… (Taken from West Bluff – one of our favourite places.)
The Golden Gate Bridge features in Book 5 several times – but it’s when Nell returns home to London that its significance really comes into its own… Watch this space for what happens when it does!
More tomorrow. Let me know what you think – leave a comment! xx
Posted in Photos, San Francisco
Tagged book 5, Golden Gate Bridge, Miranda Dickinson, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay
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