Category Archives: Spiral of Hooves

IWSG – Space Lunch

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Although I knew March’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post was approaching, I’ve continued to have eye problems, which have made it hard to write or even clear my emails. So, I’ve delayed the next episode of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

Since my January IWSG post, I’ve been posting Fevered Fuse, the first of my Snowdon Shadows novels featuring Sparkle Anwyl, in serial form. Links to each post can be found via my updated Snowdon Shadows page on the left-hand sidebar. However, I’m postponing the next chapter for the same health reasons and, vainly, hoping for more feedback on my recent post, Serialise or Submit? My Recurring Dilemma.

However, I realise, after reading this invaluable post, that I’ve become appalling at visiting other writers’ sites. So, why should they visit me? Health could be a reason for my non-involvement, but there are others as well. I seem to have too little time and too many commitments… or is checking up on news from Ukraine and now Iran a distraction?      

Before I answer this month’s question, some of you may be wondering about the strange post title, Space Lunch. In fact, the file is called ‘Space Launch’. Alongside my eye strain, I also have a keyboard that’s misbehaving, typing too many letters or missing them. I try using dictation software, but it also makes ‘misssteaks’ I must correct.

Yet Space Lunch sounds intriguing.

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Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

March 4 question – What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry.
https://rolandclarke.com/spiral-of-hooves/

Until I have another ready for release, my only published novel, Spiral of Hooves, remains my only launch. Initially, with the Kindle release on Monday, December 9th, 2013, by Spectacle Publishing, I concentrated on contributing posts to the website of other Spectacle authors whose books were released at the same. We also reciprocated by posting on each other’s sites.

Released on Monday, August 7th, 2017, the second edition was a chance to try a different approach with an online release day gathering involving author friends, one of whom, a published mystery writer, provided an endorsement for the back cover. I encouraged the other writers to talk about their writing and books. There were also competitions with prizes, including autographed copies of the novel.

Whenever I get to launch another novel, I’ll probably repeat the online book launch gathering, but I’ve seen more authors doing extensive book tours, including visits to other writers’ blogs for interviews or to post there.

I would advise fellow writers to look to more successful published writers than me, for instance, Jacqui Murray, author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature. Her latest book in the saga, Balance of Nature, has just been released. In 2019, I joined her tour for Book 2 in the Crossroads trilogy, the second part of her engrossing saga.

So, Space Lunch is still intriguing. Any thoughts on what it is or where it’s being held or performed? Answers on a postcard or in the comments, please.

**

The awesome co-hosts for the March 4 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Rereading

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Although I knew February’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post was approaching, I’ve been having eye problems, which have made it hard to clear my writing desk. So, I’ve delayed the next episode of my Ukraine saga,  Freedom Flights.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

Since my January IWSG post, I’ve been posting Fevered Fuse, the first of my Snowdon Shadows novels featuring Sparkle Anwyl, in serial form. Links to each post can be found via my updated Snowdon Shadows page on the left-hand sidebar.

**

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

February 4 question – Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?

First Snow on Snowdon ~ Juanita Clarke

After my number one reader, Rebecca Douglass, gave the opening three chapters of ‘Fates Maelstrom’ her seal of approval, I continued to revise what was originally the first of the Snowdon Shadows series, until various Sparkle Anwyl shorts evolved into ‘Fevered Fuse’, now chronologically first.

As a result, I reread the other draft books in the series to see whether they matched the openers. A worthwhile exercise, especially as they don’t follow events in the first two books. Otherwise, my reaction was a mixture of surprise at how my writing had changed, surprise at some of my plot twists, and uneasiness over how much needed reworking. One common element, even in the draft of ‘Fates Maelstrom’ I’m revising, is Sparkle’s relationships with romantic partners.

In ‘Fevered Fuse’, someone emerges who should be in every sequel but isn’t. Yet I created that special someone in a short story after drafting those other novels, and since I’ve made them a central character alongside Sparkle. Instead, there will be rivals for Sparkle’s affection, demanding I change the plot in the other books to retain their role

Last year, I also reread drafts of other novels. It was interesting, as there were a few of them that I regretted abandoning, when another idea dragged me in a new direction. Some were written for NaNoWriMo; others were developed as sequels to earlier drafts. The aim was not just to see if my writing had improved, as I still don’t feel it has. But ultimately, I needed to decide which novel to focus on, given my age and health. Today, bedbound with a fractured leg, aching back, stomach pains, and multiple sclerosis & CLL, any time feels precious.

Hilda Donahue and Tuff Stuff climb Cougar Rock at Tevis. Photo by Gore/Baylor Photography
https://eventingnation.com/hilda-donahue-tackles-the-tevis-cup/

Although my decision is made – Fates Maelstrom – there were two close contenders. ‘Tortuous Terrain’, the US-based sequel to my only published novel, Spiral of Hooves, but, despite the plotline, the lack of sales and mixed reviews for Spiral of Hooves deterred me.

The other was my Alternative History, Eagle Crossing, which grew out of the question, “What would have happened if Leif Eriksson had settled Vinland permanently in 1000 AD?”, spawning a short story, then the draft novel and its related Viking Age history from 1000-2020. Maybe another short story is possible.



From longships to airships: The Norwegian Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre sailing outside Greenland – http://www.drakenexpeditionamerica.com/ (L) & https://aeroscraft.com/ (R).

Until then, North Wales and Ukraine will rule my writing.

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The awesome co-hosts for the February 4 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site for their invaluable insights on writing:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Reappraisal

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It’s time for my first Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2025, having missed the January IWSG post… I realised it was too late when I saw others posting. At least I managed a Christmas-New Year post.

However, I have also posted Episodes 28-32 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. I will post the next episode later this week, and there should be many more until I write about the just peace, hopefully this year.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

February 5 question – Is there a story or book you’ve written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry

Initially, I felt I wouldn’t change any of my too few published fiction writings, although Spiral of Hooves was revised for the second edition. Perhaps rereading the novel would make me wish I’d changed more things.

However, some of the shorts posted on this site should be reappraised and, in many cases, revised even though I edit them a few times before letting my followers read them.

As an ongoing episodic tale, Freedom Flights will have to be revised. I’ve already started making changes to the collated episodes whenever I find mistakes and oversights. For instance, as I research the aviation aspects of the story, I notice incorrect jargon. In early episodes, I called groups of four to six planes ‘wings’ rather than ‘flights’… and other basic errors. When I’ve reached the final episode, Just Peace, I will start filling in the gap from 1950 to 2021 and revising the war episodes.

Naturally, there are other projects due for revision… one day.

*

The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

WEP Get Together – February

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If this fails to appear on February 1st, blame HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) for wanting me to file my 2022-2023 tax return by midnight on January 31st, 2024. Failure to submit by the deadline incurs a £100 fine, which increases after 3 months. Unfortunately, I won’t have submitted the return by the time this post appears, as I’m still missing one document.

However, this WEP Get Together may be about more than writing, yet scribbling might distract me from worrying about unforeseen mishaps.

As I wrote in my last blog post, I will continue writing more Freedom Flights episodes until a just peace for Ukraine is reached. I’m aiming for one episode per month and have devised a thread echoing the 2023 WEP/IWSG Challenges movie theme. February’s episode may appear next week.

Graphics by Jonathan Temples – 
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

My crucial and ongoing issue is editing. Although I have an excellent editor in London, Yen Ooi, I’m over a year behind on her suggested revisions of Fevered Fuse, my North Wales police procedural… the first novel with Sparkle Anwyl. I’m slow, partly as ‘Freedom Flights’ keeps demanding my attention, but mainly as I struggle with health problems including deteriorating eyesight. I fear another rewrite may be a draft too far, even though my UK editor understands my style and approach. Incidentally, Yen was the UK editor of my first novel, Spiral of Hooves.

Maybe I must seriously consider finding a ghostwriter to ensure that at least two more novels are published. A UK journalist cousin did offer to help… but for a price. As for my American stepfamily, there were no serious offers… at any price.

What price is reasonable? Have you ever considered any form of writing partnership?

“The writing world changes constantly and is not without its challenges.” Denise Covey

For other WEP Get Together posts visit:

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/01/1-wep-get-together-february-1-2024.html

P.S. I love Olga’s badge for WEP at the head of this post.

#IWSG – Career Path

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Before I tackle this month’s question for this Insecure Writer’s Support Group post , I should give a health warning:

Excessive exploring down rabbit holes leads to drowsiness…

.and lost words of wisdom.

If I keep dozing off, this might be next month’s effort. Which works as we will be about to celebrate our 13th anniversary on May 14th. As last month I said, “13 years, three countries, and five homes… and a sixth looking necessary for various reasons, although selling our house might stymie our intent.”

The house move must happen as I need to leave the house when the weather improves – no green snow on April 1st. 😉

My care team are already planning the first stage: getting me in my power wheelchair for indoor trips…to the front room.

Outside needs upgrading from mean streets to trees and grass in a gated, over 55 community with amenities. So far, we have the idea house and community… except no trees = keep looking with help of our realtor friend.

Until the move happens, gaming and writing keep my brain active and alive.

Ukraine is still one of my two writing priorities. I will continue my Ukraine stories until a just peace is reached and the reconstruction has begun. Next episode is due around April 19th – prompt ‘Life is Beautiful.’

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2023.html

Slava Ukrayini

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Every month, IWSG announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

April 5 question – Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you’re at the start of the journey, what are your goals?

Interesting question with at least two answers, depending on which book is the first:

  1. The first complete draft of a novel: When I was finishing college in the gorgeous Laurentians, north of Montreal, I thought I was on the brink of a career as a fantasy/science fiction writer. I had written the first draft of a fantasy novel, some short stories, and edited a SF/Fantasy fanzine called ‘Mind Sphere’.  

However, family demands led me back to England with some short stories, copies of the fanzine, but not the draft novel. Dreams of becoming a writer unwound, although I scribbled a few shorts over the next three decades.

Cover credit: Danielle Sands

  • The first novel published: ‘Spiral of Hooves’ was my first published novel. The writing journey is full of memories as it’s a mystery set against the horse world surrounding the sport of eventing, which I was covering in my last years as an equestrian journalist. However, the initial inspiration came a few years earlier when I was photographing events… and before I switched career paths to selling organic produce… and then to TV/film production.

Eventually, I returned to writing about horse sports as an equestrian journalist. My initial idea proved too unwieldy, but this time I was ready to commit although my journo-journey was taking off and eating into the fictional commitment. But it was feeding the plotlines. Then at an international indoor show, I was watching a showjumping class when the pieces gelled.

Okay, it took invaluable comments from the experienced novelists of Tunbridge Wells & District Writers Circle , an incurable disease, retirement, a few more years, and my determined American wife to encourage me across the published finishing line.

From that encouraging start, I have kept writing, although judging by the out-of-date ‘Work Progression – or not’ page on this website, kept distracting my progress with new projects… often during NaNoWriMo. Even my second finished novel ‘Wyrm Bait’ was submitted to an editor, and June 2013 I received a positive appraisal with extensive notes and suggestions on how to revise it. Instead, I darted down another rabbit run.

So, eight plus distractions later, I have two more challengers for second novel:

Graphics by Jonathan Temples – 
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

Fevered Fuse – my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, which I’m attempting to revise through my health issues, guided by my editor’s notes, and encouraged across the finish by you, my loyal followers. Many thanks.

Freedom Flight – my ongoing Ukraine saga, requiring a just peace, and maybe a NaNoWriMo attempt to fill in the blanks.

Fatigue is setting in, so I must stop, then post.

**
The awesome co-hosts for the April 5 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett,Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Cover Art

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Before I tackle this month’s question and Insecure Writer’s Support Group post , I must give you my usual writing-health report.

Writing one-handed through pain and med-induced drowsiness, is now exacerbated by using the second arm/hand to massage or lift myself.

Hence snail progress… or, apologies, none. Thus, this post is delayed… and nearly missed the deadline.

Ukraine is still my priority – see yesterday’s post: https://rolandclarke.com/2023/01/31/wep-iwsg-challenge-resolve/

Plus. February’s WEP-IWSG’s Challenge entry will happen.

Slava Ukrayini

**

Every month, IWSG announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

February 1 question – If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I’ve only has one publication requiring a cover, as shorts have a collection cover.

Spiral of Hooves was released as an e-book on Monday, December 9th, 2013, by Spectacle Publishing. The cover was designed in-house. Although, I made some initial suggestions, the final product was not as expected. I had envisaged bloody hoofprints in snow, not hoofprints at night in sand or snow. Some say it works.

Cover credit: Danielle Sands

When I got the rights back, I corrected the text in a few places. I found Jonathan Temples, a cover designer in Northern Ireland, who did designs for one of my favourite thriller writers. He worked closely with me and a photographer friend. Jonathan produced a front & back cover I’m extremely pleased with… as well as matching bookmarks. So, I published this second edition with CreateSpace on Monday, August 7th, 2017, in paperback and on Kindle.

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry

Whenever, if ever. Fevered Fuse, my police procedural set in Snowdonia, gets published I want to work with Jonathan Temples again. Of course, that depends on the publisher. At least, I can recommend him, and submit the initial drawing he did for the graphic novel concept.

Graphics by Jonathan Temples – 
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

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The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Jacqui Murray,Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!


Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!