Fox Brison's Blog

I deliberated long and hard before eventually deciding to take the bull by the horns and attend my first ever literary conference this year. My reluctance was mainly due to the fact that I don’t tend to do very well in large groups, or when faced with new situations, or when meeting new people. I appreciate that everybody finds these things difficult but I, however, at certain times have found them almost impossible. I guess that’s one of the reasons why as a child books became such a huge part of my life, and why they still hold such importance now, because without them I’m sure I would have had quite a miserable existence. You see, once I discovered books it didn’t hurt as much when I struggled to make friends because all the friends I could ever possibly need were sitting right there on my bookshelf. Then when I began to write, it was like finding my very own custom-made Holy Grail. Here was this incredible outlet and I could finally express myself in ways that were so tough for me in other areas; in my stories I provided the perfect retort - banishing the bullies, sending them off with their tails between their legs, and instead of the rambling nonsense uttered to my secret high school crush, I impressed her with my sparkling repartee.

As I matured I devised techniques to combat my social gracelessness, for wont of a better phrase - I don’t like the word shy. I became a teacher and bagged myself a beautiful wife (I'm still amazed that I managed to pull that one off) however, I would be lying if I told you my lack of confidence hadn’t stopped me from making certain decisions over the years, which is precisely why I was determined not to let this decision be one of those occasions.

I was going to Ellcon come hell or high water!

Hell arrived a week before the conference when I came off my bike twisting my ankle and suffering a nasty case of road rash, and the high water appeared on the morning we were due to leave for Bristol when I woke up to discover the roof leaking after a night of torrential rain.

These occurrences seriously tested my bravado; were they signs from a higher being that I should stay home?

Not according to my wife who told me to not be daft, or words to that effect. And thank heavens I listened to her because otherwise I would have missed out on a wonderful experience.

The Ellcon lesfic book festival was played out over the course of one and a half days in Bristol U.K. A whole host of authors, some of whom I’d read exhaustively and others who were new to me, took part in a series of panels and workshops. Everyone who (bravely) participated was incredibly generous in sharing both their experiences and knowledge on several topics, ranging from finding inspiration and combating writer's block, to whether reading makes for better writing.

The conference kicked off with a panel examining cover design, which I'd dreamt about the night before. Having received a few negative comments concerning my covers from certain quarters my subconscious decided to have a little fun at my expense. I dreamt that a copy of my novel ‘A Game to Love’ was held high in the air as an example of what not to do when designing a book cover. Have you seen the film Inner Space starring Martin Short and Dennis Quaid? Well, there’s a scene where Martin Short is working at a supermarket checkout and he has this recurring dream about serving a woman with bright orange hair - my dream was like that in ambience only more surreal and terrifying. I woke up in a cold sweat and even the thought of arriving a little late crossed my mind… you know just in case. Again, my security blanket, a.k.a the wife, told me in her indomitable and loving manner that I was crazy. We made it to the venue right on time and nervously taking a seat I waited with baited breath. Mercifully my dream did not come true although to be fair after listening to the panel I had to concede that ‘A Game to Love’ probably could have been used in the capacity as a warning of what not to do!

Hopefully though, by following the stellar advice given by an esteemed panel, which included May Dawney and Miranda Mcleod, my subsequent covers will be vastly improved.

And that right there is the crux for my presence at Ellcon; I went because more than anything else I wanted to improve my craft, I wanted to become a better writer, a more rounded writer and what better way to achieve this than by surrounding myself with the best authors our genre has to offer. Anna Larner, who wrote the fabulous ‘Highland Fling' made an interesting point when discussing whether lesbian characters should be more realistic - she mentioned how authors have a responsibility to their readers and this really struck a chord with me. Although slightly different in context, I feel the biggest responsibility I have is to grow as an author, to learn and keep learning so that I’m giving readers the best experience I’m capable of providing.

The final panel of Ellcon was another significant one as far as I was concerned, having already lit upon my inability, or perhaps difficulty is a better word, when it comes to approaching people, as it was about collaborations in Lesfic publishing. On the panel were two authors, T.B Markinson and Jae, who for me epitomised this concept because I had experienced first-hand their support and generosity - T.B included my book ‘Beholden’ in her IHeartLesfic newsletter and Jae included the same book in her book bingo. The fact that both these women (who I was huge fan of) reached out to me meant, and to this day still means, the world to me. Jae used a fabulous analogy when she spoke about authors not being competition but being colleagues, explaining that books aren’t like cars which people buy maybe once every ten years, people read and buy many books throughout the year and so there’s enough readers to go around, a viewpoint shared by the other panel members Clare Lydon and Caroline Manchoulas. The message being that in celebrating each other’s success and supporting one another, the standard in our genre will become much higher, the number of sub-genres will increase, and by providing people with more choice the readership, in turn, will surely grow.

We’ve been starved of good quality content for so long. It’s time Lesfic became a force to be reckoned with!
On my return home one of the questions my friends and family asked was “So was it worth going?” Listen I’m never going to be a social butterfly and I didn’t speak to half the people I wished I could have spoken to, yet despite this my answer was a resounding yes!

For the past week I’ve been trying to think of the best endorsement I could bestow Ellcon and what I came up with is this; the wonderfully uplifting atmosphere I experienced in Bristol where everyone was so warm and gracious and, where I genuinely got the sense that we were all in this together, has given me the courage to sign up for a writer’s retreat run by Brey Willows and Robyn Nyx who I met whilst attending their POV workshop. If you're interested the intimate retreat takes place at the Bambu resort in Malaga, Spain May 2019. I'm Super excited!

And I won’t need my security blanket this time because another thing Ellcon taught me is that meeting new people isn’t so bad… just as long as they're Lesfic readers and, or authors!

So, in conclusion, I arrived at Ellcon hoping to learn a little and perhaps meet a few of my lesfic heroines.

And I left Ellcon having learned a great deal and discovered a whole new raft of lesfic heroines to fangirl over.

I’d really like to take this opportunity to say a huge thankyou to everyone who took part and to everyone who had a hand in organising this event it was, and you are all amazing.

Sometimes it is difficult to push yourself to achieve a dream; other times it is easy. My dream was always to write books, yet never imagined I would get there, and now I have the next step is to continue along the path, writing and publishing novels I am immensely proud of.
Where We Belong was a long time in coming, for a variety of reasons. Life, mainly, got in the way, but I also had a real case of writer's block... one which eroded my confidence to the point I found it difficult to even open the lid of my laptop, nevermind start typing on the blasted thing! Because of the trials and tribulations leading up to its release, I am incredibly satisfied with the result. In this case, the road was long and winding, but arriving at the destination made it all worthwhile.

I'm excited that the cover for my next book is ready. When I first see the cover, it gives me a tingle and also a boot up the bottom to get a wriggle on!
I'm also reading, not as much as usual, but there have been some wonderful books released this month, Arrival by Gun Brooke, Charming the Vicar by Jenny Frame and Data Capture by Jesse J Thoma.
I've managed to fill in eight squares on my book bingo now, and I've set up another card - mainly because one card is filled with books I have read for the first time, and the second is for books I have read before. The challenge has made me read titles in other sub genres I usually avoid, and I have found a couple of new authors to enjoy, so well worth doing! "http://www.foxbrison.com/wp-content/u..."

I'm busily writing my next book, provisionally titled Hitting the Right Note. However, I took time out to read TB Markinson's new book, A Family Woman, the third in her woman lost series. Well worth the break in my schedule. I also read Jessica L Webb's Trigger and Pathogen and was delighted to find out there is already a third one... I'm holding off reading it until I have finished my first draft. I'm Pavlov's dog waiting for my reward!
I heart lesfic is promoting a mega sale over the Christmas period and three of my books have been included... Island Skye, Heavenly Heirs and A Game to Love. Check out https://iheartlesfic.com/mega-lesfic-...
I've already earmarked a couple!

I'm really bad at blogging, mainly because my life seems so much more boring than everyone else's! I'm sure no one is interested in the exciting things my cat does, nor what I had for my dinner last night.
However, two things have happened in quick succession to give me something to talk about.

Woo hoo!

So, Beholden is finally finished and out there in the world. Will it sink or swim? I've stopped trying to second guess myself because reading, and the enjoyment thereof, is totally subjective; what I enjoy is totally different to what someone else may like. However, the feedback so far has been positive so fingers crossed!

As for fangirling... it's not a phrase I would have readily associated with myself, until I was stood at the checkout at the pet shop with a trolley full of cat food and my phone buzzed with a Facebook notification. Normally I would ignore it, especially when waiting to be served, but the queue was long and, quite frankly, there's not a lot to do in a pet shop when you have to wait. When I saw it was from T.B Markinson, one of my favourite authors... well I guess I regressed to the eighties! I've read all of her books and if I had to choose one, I'd plump for 'The Miracle Girl.' After a brief explanation to the rather bemused till operator, I calmed my racing heart enough to reply to the message. So if you receive the Iheartlesfic new releases newsletter, you should see Beholden on it! I know in the grand scheme of things it may seem such a tiny event, but trust me when I say it totally made my Saturday!
The website TB runs, Iheartlesfic, is really fantastic too. It's full of news, interviews, special offers... the list is endless and it's well worth a visit.

Next on my list of things to do, apart from chopping up blocks for winter, is to try something different with my writing. Sometimes I can be too verbose, so I'm attempting to write something in a serial form...

I foresee a third nervous breakdown in my future!

Whew, another book, another nervous breakdown! With each book I write, I find myself being challenged. I think this is positive, because I am stretching myself as a writer to ensure my readers receive the best I can give.
The Aisle and Skye is the first sequel I have attempted. I wrote it with the intention that it could be read as a stand alone novel - which ultimately helped. Nat and Skye, the main characters, had so much more to say that I couldn't help but continue their tale.
By the end of the editing process I began to struggle, but this was because I was enjoying their journey.

I hope you do too.

Unbridled, my fifth novel, is now complete. To celebrate its release, I'm giving away signed copies of my three other romance books, Heavenly Heirs, A Game to Love and Island Skye, so check out the giveaway pages from the 7th to the 14th of April for a chance to win.

I'm learning with each book I write; with unbridled I tried to eliminate one stage in my usual editing process, hoping it might save time and a little effort but it ended up taking longer and made things much more difficult! There are no short cuts in this business and I will definitely not be making that mistake again!

I'm now taking the weekend off to catch up on the boring stuff that falls by the wayside when I'm into the final ten days of editing. Then back to the grindstone on Monday when I'll be starting my sixth novel, a sequel to Island Skye. Yes, the epilogue did tie everything up nicely, but Skye and Nat still talk to me, and I think theirs is a story that deserves to be told.

My fourth book is finished! Woo hoo! This one was actually my first foray into writing a romance, but it always got pushed onto the back burner when inspiration for another novel struck.
it's been out for a week now and the response has been phenomenal, so thank you for that, especially the positive reviews and feedback I have received. It makes all the hard work worth it.
Georgia, one of the main characters, is a tennis player. I love tennis, it was one of the few sports I can remember watching with my gran - the world outside shut down during Wimbledon fortnight and I would watch agog as Becker would throw himself to the ground reaching for a drop shot, or when emotion overcame Jana Novotna and she was inconsolable when she lost the final.
After my thirteenth birthday I can recall spending all of my money on a new racket. I treasured that racket, and never replaced it. It cost twenty three pounds, and twenty years ago that was an awfully large amount of money! Tennis was also one of the only sports I could beat my uncle at; he used to stick me in goal for everything, and as for beating him in a running race - forget that. But stick a racket in my hand and I was transformed.
It's been a tough few weeks pushing myself to complete the editing process, never my favourite thing to do, so I had a few days of just chilling and catching up with a few new releases and re-reading a couple of old favourites.
So now the next book begins. I'm currently editing the next book in the Sorrows Series, as well as beginning my new lesbian romance, working title Mirror Image.
Nose and grindstone springs to mind!

I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who purchased Heavenly Heirs this week in aid of Focus Ireland.
With your help I earned royalties amounting to 27 Euro which I personally matched making the total money raised for Focus Ireland 54 Euro.
A great start to the New year!

In my book Heavenly Heirs one of the main characters, Rachel, is homeless for a short time. During my research for this character it really brought home to me the awful plight of those who find themselves without a home, especially at this time of year. As I listen to storm Barbara battering my house, and praying she doesn't do any real damage, it made me think for more than one moment about how it must feel not to have the security of a safe shelter of your own. I thank God I have never had to face this ordeal but know there are many people out there who, for whatever reason, find themselves without a roof over their head. I also know there are many people working tirelessly to help those people and eradicate homelessness completely.
Which is why this holiday period, from Christmas Eve to New Year's Eve, I am donating all royalties from the ebook sale of Heavenly Heirs to the homeless charity Focus Ireland. It may be a drop in the ocean but to coin a phrase 'every little helps.'