Alex Martin's Blog
February 18, 2014
DAFFODILS RESEARCH
#WW1 Research passed the #Paxman Test! Daffodils #http://amzn.to/19iDLtI
Phew! Just finished watching the excellent series by Jeremy Paxman on WW1. I'm sure there was a huge team of researchers working on this programme and I watched with some trepidation to see whether the research for Daffodils would pass this stringent test.
I only have to do a tiny edit to one letter after watching the programmes, which is an immense relief. I was also heartened with Mr Paxman's summary, at the end of the final programme, when he stated that the social order was completely overturned by the country galvanising itself for the war effort. Women were never again dismissed as useless females and their world broadened out in ways they could never have imagined over the course of those four dramatic years. The poor ended up better fed than they had ever been because of rationing, and because there were more paid jobs in services, ammunition and other supply work.
There is a nostalgia for the Edwardian era that preceded the war but, having researched it thoroughly myself, I can see that this was misplaced for, despite the hugely tragic loss of men, and women, this war had ultimately a genuinely democratic effect on Britain and we still benefit from this today.
The old order was gone for good.
Phew! Just finished watching the excellent series by Jeremy Paxman on WW1. I'm sure there was a huge team of researchers working on this programme and I watched with some trepidation to see whether the research for Daffodils would pass this stringent test.
I only have to do a tiny edit to one letter after watching the programmes, which is an immense relief. I was also heartened with Mr Paxman's summary, at the end of the final programme, when he stated that the social order was completely overturned by the country galvanising itself for the war effort. Women were never again dismissed as useless females and their world broadened out in ways they could never have imagined over the course of those four dramatic years. The poor ended up better fed than they had ever been because of rationing, and because there were more paid jobs in services, ammunition and other supply work.
There is a nostalgia for the Edwardian era that preceded the war but, having researched it thoroughly myself, I can see that this was misplaced for, despite the hugely tragic loss of men, and women, this war had ultimately a genuinely democratic effect on Britain and we still benefit from this today.
The old order was gone for good.
July 2, 2013
www.intheplottingshed.com
You can find all about my books at www.intheplottingshed.com
Just publishing my tenth book (can't quite believe I said that!) which will be out on the 11th July 2024. Warrior Queens is all about girlpower and strength of friendship bonds when tested by adversity. Set in beautiful Devon in England its coastal backdrop looks idyllic but three women are struggling behind their cheerful facades. Only by help each other can they get through.
Warrior Queens will be listed on Goodreads as soon as it goes live!
Just publishing my tenth book (can't quite believe I said that!) which will be out on the 11th July 2024. Warrior Queens is all about girlpower and strength of friendship bonds when tested by adversity. Set in beautiful Devon in England its coastal backdrop looks idyllic but three women are struggling behind their cheerful facades. Only by help each other can they get through.
Warrior Queens will be listed on Goodreads as soon as it goes live!
July 3, 2012
Making a start
And here I am on Goodreads. Whether readers feel I qualify with The Twisted Vine, is yet to be established. I hope so. I am passionate about writing. Creating stories makes me happy. No other activity gives me the buzz that I get from a blank screen. All that potential.
Plus I can play God. Control freak heaven! The characters that spill out of my head on to my computer are but puppets in my hands. Or are they? That's not been my experience. They are wilful personalities who will not always conform to my ideas. That's when it gets exciting.
I used to bake all our bread, when our kids were small and we were stoney broke. I remember the dough coming to life in my hands. How it felt warm and lively under the influence of the yeast and my own hard work.
Writing is like that. I have an idea, usually in a dream sequence. I wake up and scribble it down before it evaporates. Slowly it percolates in the back of my head and I still think I'm in control. When I have space and time to write, I sit down at my desk, in my garden shed, and confidently expect to orchestrate events. Hah! Those figments of my imagination have been waiting for that moment. They seize the reins and it's me that gets the thrilling ride.The Twisted Vine
Plus I can play God. Control freak heaven! The characters that spill out of my head on to my computer are but puppets in my hands. Or are they? That's not been my experience. They are wilful personalities who will not always conform to my ideas. That's when it gets exciting.
I used to bake all our bread, when our kids were small and we were stoney broke. I remember the dough coming to life in my hands. How it felt warm and lively under the influence of the yeast and my own hard work.
Writing is like that. I have an idea, usually in a dream sequence. I wake up and scribble it down before it evaporates. Slowly it percolates in the back of my head and I still think I'm in control. When I have space and time to write, I sit down at my desk, in my garden shed, and confidently expect to orchestrate events. Hah! Those figments of my imagination have been waiting for that moment. They seize the reins and it's me that gets the thrilling ride.The Twisted Vine
