Anna Jones Buttimore

When my first book was accepted for publication I was told by my very wise editor that publishing was a "hurry up and wait" business, and could be extremely frustrating. And so it has proved to be. It seems that most publishers take up to a year from accepting a manuscript to actually printing and distributing the book, and then it can be another year before the author gets sales figures and royalties. And yet it often seems that the edited manuscript is returned to the author with instructions to make required corrections and alterations and return it within 72 hours. Publishers work to deadlines, and with several books scheduled for specific release dates, and marketing based on everything happening as planned, part of the author's lot in life is to do whatever is necessary to fit in with it all. I can cope with that. I understand that's how it works. That's fine. The more difficult part is waiting for an answer, but again, that's par for the course. My late...

I posted a few weeks ago about why I object to swearing. Essentially it is because I don't like horrible, out-of-context, intended-to-offend words. But there are plenty of other words I love. Words which trip off the tongue and which are a joy to say - tributary, fluffy, coupon. (The Welsh words cynffon and bysedd trump them all, though. Welsh has the most amazingly satisfying words I know.) Some words not only sound good, but have good associations which make them even more spirit-warming, "chocolate" being the obvious candidate. I also love the evocative word "Exogenesis", not only because it has such an exciting and mysterious meaning, but because it is the title of one a symphony by one of my favourite bands (Muse), and the name of an episode of Star Trek. "Epiphany" is another delightful word which is also the name of an episode of three of my favourite TV programmes - Desparate Houswives, Angel and Stargate SG-1. The English language has the rich...

According to Harold Camping of Family Radio Worldwide, the end of the world - the rapture, the apocalypse, whatever you like to call is - is scheduled for today. Darned if I'm finishing the washing up, then. Naturally this has raised much hilarity and skepticism, but it has also provoked some serious thought. For me, it raised two questions. How much do I believe in Prophecy, and if Rev. Camping is right, am I ready? Just to be contrary, I'll answer the second question first. Yes. I'd very much like to have my due fourscore years and ten of this very interesting and fun life, and I would like my children to experience rather more of what the world has to offer before they are caught up into eternal bliss, but on the whole it's been a great 42 years, and I am satisfied that I'm ready to meet Jesus with my head held high should it come to that. He and I are well-enough acquainted to be on first-name terms. So that leaves the issue of prophecy. Do I actually believe Re...

Okay, so I've finished my Magnum Opus Emon and the Emperor (120,000 words) and submitted it, and so it's time to get on with the next project. The question is, which one? I'm hoping you blog readers can help me to decide. Comment to vote! Share this blog so that I can get other opinions! I'm in a quandary and I need your help! Here are the proposed backliners: Finders Keepers [Romantic comedy for adult women] When Jen, Maralee, Amelia and Dolphin meet again at a school reunion they realise that, twenty-five years on, they are all still single. And so they decide to meet regularly to help each other navigate the perilous forty-something dating scene. But there's a twist - the first one of them to find a "keeper" will have her wedding paid for by the others. Through romantic blunder after dating disaster and hilarious misunderstanding, the women each come to understand more about themselves, and why they are looking for love. The Saved Sinner [Poignant and...

My eldest daughter watches LA Ink, Miami Ink and London Ink, programmes about tattoo studios, the people who go there to get tattooed, and the stories and reasons behind the designs they have inked indellibly onto their skin. It's a passably interesting programme - the stories are often touching and some of the artwork is stunning. I have two tattoos and have never recorded why I had them or what they mean. Until now. When I was 19 and a first-year University student I had this design tattooed onto my bac k at a small tattoo parlour near the railway bridge in Bangor. It's small - about the size of a 50p piece - and I often refer to it as a Sacred Heart, which is a Catholic symbol, even though I've never been Catholic. At the time it represented to me the love of Jesus as expressed in his willingness to die on the cross. Of course since I had it done I have joined a church which doesn't use the sign of the cross (or allow tattoos!), and for a while I considered having it...

I had a new book idea on Saturday. And, like my third book, Easterfield, this one feels as though it's writing itself. I can't get it out of my head, and new ideas keep appearing and begging to be committed to words. But unlike Easterfield, this isn't a book I'm going to enjoy writing. In fact, it's going to be difficult and unpleasant, and if it gets published, many readers are going to be upset and challenged by what they read. To give you some idea of why that might be, here's my proposed backliner: Jeanette Hesketh is thrilled when her missionary son, Harley, returns home. It’s five years to the day since her husband died, and with Harley back at home in London with his mother and teenage sister her forever family feels as near to complete as it ever could this side of the veil. But Harley hasn’t been home for long before he announces that he’s been “saved” and is forsaking his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not only that, b...

"Profanity is the attempt of a feeble mind to express itself forcefully." I love words. I'm pretentious enough to enjoy calling myself a wordsmith. I like the way a collection of carefully chosen words, when printed, can move people to tears, or anger, or change lives. There are some very beautiful words in the English language which convey meaning both with their sound and their associations: effervescent, tributary, elegant. But there are also some very ugly words used to shock and offend, to convey the meanness or toughness of the speaker, or to be controversial. Most of them have four letters, and I can smugly say that I know that I have never uttered most of them. I have a policy of removing from my friends list anyone who swears on Facebook. I am personally offended by swearing, and I don't need to be brought down by switching on my computer to catch up with news of friends and family, and being confronted with vulgarity. There are several reasons why I object t...