Good day from Irene Edwards

Today I would like you all to celebrate a local writer, Mary Powles, who has been beavering away at her writing and has produced two books for you to read.

Congratulations, Mary Powles on your two great books

 

The Accidental Stalker, £9.00

Brown Dog Books

PRINTED: ISBN 978-1-903056-89-9

ISBN e-book: 978-1-903056-90-5

Moving Times £7.99

Brown Dog Books

ISBN 978-1-78545-219-2

ISBN PRINTED :978-1-78545-219-2

e-book :978-1-78545-220-8

For sale in John Street gallery, Llanelli, where browsers can view stunning paintings by Denise Di Battista, who provided the art work for the books. Both books are also now obtainable at your local library and on Amazon as ebooks and paperbacks.

I’ll tell you a little about the first book ‘The Accidental Stalker,’ (comedy) and I invite you to read Mary’s new book ‘Moving Times.’

Both are wonderful stories, set in (wait for it) a town reminiscent of Llanelli.

The Accidental Stalker is a story in which the very fabric of ‘loneliness’ is seen in all it’s different forms, and this aspect seems to unravel in layers within the lives of the characters.

We meet Jack who is disturbed by the lost loves in his life.

Then there’s Grace who also feels overcome by the idea that she has become a motherly doormat.

Or, there’s Jack’s son who is living his life of bluffs.

And Liam, who is clutching at friendship.

Betty, who although surrounded by her family is searching and reaching out for friendship.

The entire group of characters have something in common which is an internal feeling of loneliness and the story revolves around an awareness of how life can bring a situation of loneliness into a very tangible form. The story is always searching for a solution to loneliness in which every situation is contrived of loneliness, which has resulted from the impact of circumstances, and thus heralded loneliness.

But, this is not a dark weary tale, it’s a surprisingly comical story set in our home town of Llanelli, branded Pontardeilo. The humour jumps off the page and draws a spontaneous chuckle. It’s an enjoyable read, well-depicted with beautiful descriptions. I loved the read and think you will too.

‘Moving Times’ is a continuation of character portrayal. So, do try and read both books as they are both charming with colourful characters and a good plot which identifies with all forms of family life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Powles was born and brought up in Suffolk and trained as an English and Drama teacher at Homerton College, Cambridge. Thirty years ago, she moved to South Wales with her husband, Simon. She taught at a nearby school, wrote in her spare time and filled her seaside home with children and dogs.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARY POWLES BY Irene Edwards

Irene… Hi Mary, thanks for agreeing to our interview today. I hope you enjoy it.

Mary… Thanks for inviting me to chat. I am flattered that someone is keen to find out more about my writing.

Irene…Do you now regard writing as your hobby, passion or daily job of work?

Mary…Writing is a delight, a self-imposed task and I can create my own timetable and working conditions. As someone who used to enjoy teaching, it’s nevertheless a refreshing change not to live life in chunks of forty or eighty minutes, jolted into action by the sound of the bell. I don’t write every day but I do take myself upstairs to the computer sometimes when I am not feeling particularly inspired. I am successful some days and  on other occasions it is an uphill struggle.

Irene…How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

 

Mary… I don’t think it changed my process of writing because I am self-published and my own boss. However, there is nothing to compare with receiving the first box of completed books. I couldn’t quite believe that I’d done it!

Irene…Are you hoping to continue bringing together a body of work with connections between each book?

Mary…I’m not sure. It would be satisfying to complete a trilogy. I’m fond of the characters who work at the Estate Agents in my books and am a bit reluctant to let them go.

Irene…Did you find it easier or more difficult to write a second book?

Mary… I knew I could do it after the first book was published, but there are always insecurities and doubts about the work itself. The second book is more complicated in terms of plot and involved a bit of shuffling about with notes in my rough book.

Irene…What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Mary… I can’t remember who gave me this tip but I’ll pass it on: I never finish a story line in one sitting so that I can pick up the threads the next time. That way you should never start out staring at the screen wondering where the plot is going. I like writing conversation and shamelessly listen in to other people nattering and I like developing characters. I guess the main difficulty is working out when to tie up ends and when to leave plot-lines alone. I paid for an editor at Brown Dog publishing and it was very helpful to have notes suggesting when I had said too much and when I had supplied too little information. In “Moving Times” which is about people relocating, I wasn’t clear at the commencement about who would move into which house in the chain. I enjoyed working out the details. I have a rough idea about the plot at the beginning but the story develops as I write.

Irene… What writers inspire you?

Mary… Well, Dickens was a genius in that he could remember all those characters and what they got up to when he wrote episodically. I like humour in a novel. Jane Austen’s writing makes me smile. I also really like reading anything by Kate Atkinson, Jodi Picoult, Deborah Moggach, Tracy Chevalier, Barbara Pym and Rosy Thornton.

Irene… Do you have a third book planned or ready for print?

Mary… I’m having some time thinking about that one. It might involve a fire and a renovated house. I’m intrigued by what I learn from magazines which interview owners of properties that have had a makeover. The new owners are incredibly unkind about the state of the place when it was originally purchased and by extension the taste of the original owners. Someone somewhere will be feeling bruised and maybe resentful.

Irene… What would be your message to aspiring writers?

Mary… Do it! If you really want to write, you will find the time to do it. You have to sit somewhere where you won’t get distracted. Saying that, I write looking out of the window. I don’t think I would fancy staring at the wall when I’m thinking. You have to have a “What if?” idea. It helps if you read widely but don’t allow someone else’s style take over your own. Try and create characters with whom you become engaged and celebrate each page you write!

Irene…Thank you, Mary, for our interview today. My best wishes go out to you for future literary successes.

Mary… Thank you so much. I’ve enjoyed it.