Elaina James

Today I have great pleasure in welcoming the talented Kim Nash to the blog to launch the first in my guest blog series on Chasing Dreams. You Are Never Too Old To Follow Your Dreams  I was 50 years old when my debut novel was published. I was the little girl who dreamed of being an author one day, but thought that to be an author, you had to live in a big house by the coast, and your writing desk had a delightful view over a beautifully tended garden with masses of vibrant, multi-coloured flowers and close-cut, emerald-green grass which looked out over the sea.   That’s where I thought the muse would strike.   When my Mom died, I wrote my things down. I found it cathartic and I wrote about my innermost feelings that I couldn’t share with my family at that time, because I didn’t want to upset them anymore than they already were. I wrote what I thought Mom would say to me if she could talk to me from heaven.   I kept it on my computer and years later I showed it to my ...

In 2016 I was proud and honored to be a 3 month guest blogger for Mslexia with my series on Chasing Dreams. Sadly the old blogs are no longer available on their site, so over the next few weeks I am going to be republishing them here, and inviting guest bloggers to come and share their own stories.  I hope you'll join me as I share my journey as a writer, with all the bumps and surprises along the way. Chasing Dreams: Part 1 - My Grand Debut I first discovered my love of writing when I was a child.  Like most kids I spent my time living in a fantasy world, and I loved to try and capture that exciting place in the pages of my pale pink notebook.  In addition to the frequent tea parties on my bedroom floor and the impromptu dance performances on an imaginary stage in our lounge, my parents were subjected to hearing random tales of buried treasure and magic houses. Aside from my parents and teachers, whose gold stars for imagination adorned my creations within my school bo...

This wonderful debut from Josie Bonham is a charming love story set against a backdrop of intrigue and suspense. Josie Bonham has a beautiful and captivating writing style and her thorougher research and knowledge of the era creates a vivid and enthralling setting. I loved Eliza's strong and feisty character and I was totally absorbed by her gripping story. Despite the hardships she has endured, Eliza, is outspoken and strong willed, yet lovable and compassionate. I loved the fantastic spark between her and Nat, an ex-army Major. There's an element of intrigue surrounding the past of both characters, which adds to the distrust and guarded nature of their relationship which creates an added layer of cautiousness and distrust.  I'll definitely be reading more from this talented author!

So, I already told you about my plan . Now to tell you how I deviated from it... The problem with living somewhere so beautiful is the ability it creates for countless opportunities for procrastination. Why stay inside the apartment typing, when I could be out walking on the beach, or exploring new places? Okay, so technically my notebook did accompany on these outings, with the best of intentions of being used to jot down ideas sparked by the stunning scenery. However, the reality was that it was my camera that was firmly held in my hand, not my pen. A chance encounter with a film maker turned out to be the perfect remedy to my procrastination. Simply talking to Vahid reminded me what I loved about writing. His passion and determination for his craft lead to long discussions about books, films and the creative process which in turn reignited my own passion for story telling. Except instead of inspiring me to crack on with my partially completed novel, we deviated into writing ...

Whenever you meet new people standard 'getting to know you' questions crop up. I hate those questions. Possibly because my answers, the real ones anyway, tend not to be all that standard. If someone asks who’s your favourite singer I know what my friends would say: Elton John, Maroon 5 or Bon Jovi. The person asking the question would probably nod in approval, because even if they weren't their favourite artist they could understand the answer. They are all well-known great artists. These answers conform within the parameters of expectation. Mine answers… well, not so much. I love country music. Are you raising an eyebrow at me right now? Don't worry you're not alone. It's actually the standard response I get. Admitting to be a country music fan when you live in the UK is a little unusual. Don't get me wrong, I'm not alone, but I just have never found another fan in a work environment. However, my music tastes aren’t restricted to o...

My plan was to publish the second instalment of The Grown-Up Gap Year blog today. But then I read a comment about the RNA on twitter and my blog took a bit of a detour this week. In the article the author praises the writing association she has joined. Good on her. I’m happy for her. I know how lonely and isolated writing can be, and how amazing it is when you discover that you are not as alone as you thought. It’s a truly indescribably wonderful feeling when you find a group where you belong. But to slate another writing association purely on hearsay and rumours is, in my opinion, completely unnecessary and unacceptable. Many of us write across genres. We network with different groups. We chat on Facebook, twitter and in person whenever we get the chance. It doesn’t matter what group we are part of, or not part of. We are writers. We are united by a shared love of books and a passion to write. What else matters? I’ve been a member of the Historical Novel Society, the SWW...

The Grown-Up Gap Year - The Plan I told myself, when I took my career break, that I would blog each week to chart my experiences. Well, it didn't exactly happen. As in, not at all. But, one of the things this break has taught me is that it's never too late. So here goes… It all began in summer 2018 when Katie Fforde contacted me to tell me she had selected me as a recipient of the Katie Fforde Bursary for 2019 . I was stunned, honoured and unbelievably excited. I can’t even begin to describe the magnitude and mixture of emotions that I felt reading her email. There were a lot of tears, combined with lots of jumping up and down while squealing. Yep, all at the same time. Which paused only for periodic re-reading of the email, just to make sure I hadn’t miss read it, because after all, it’s Katie Fforde and she couldn’t possibly have picked me, could she? Well, apparently she did. And in February this year I was awarded with a trophy to prove it. Though, I have to ...