Did you know that Shirley Ballas, she of the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel, has just had a novel published? Honestly, it’s the sort of thing that makes me want to spit. If only I were rich, famous and Queen of the Rumba, then I, too, could employ a ghost writer and be a properly published novelist. Did she employ a ghost writer? Yes, she did, because Andy researched it in order to bring me down from rant mode. Am I sounding bitter? Too bloody right I am.
Never mind, though! Onwards and upwards. I have some serious manifestation plans afoot re: getting a novel published. It’s all in hand. Me and the Universe have got this covered and not a ghost writer in sight because I have natural writing talent, thank you very much. Shirley B. might be able to cock her leg over her shoulder and look great in sequins, but I can write my own novels without help.
Today is National Author’s Day. It’s a day when people are encouraged to celebrate their favourite authors, talk about them and read their books. And before anyone says it, I did NOT mention Ms Ballas because she is my favourite author. Heaven forfend! I mentioned her only in the pipped off way of a mere mortal fed up with seeing book shops stuffed with tomes written by celebrities because they can be sure of a sale with the name of a famous person on the cover. Bah and Pah!
Anyhoo, I was thinking about who my favourite authors would be if I had to point the finger and shout, ‘You!’ Trouble is, I read a lot and I like a lot of writers. The only way, therefore, to narrow down the almost overwhelming choice was to literally go by numbers of novels on my book shelf in two cases, and the best screen adaptation of work in the third. I’ve chosen three authors because of the whole Rule of Three thing. But I could have chosen 30.
Here we go then. Who is this?
Any ideas? No? It’s my winner of the ‘Best Novel Adaptation for Screen from a Novel or Two That Are Equally as Good to Read as They Are To Watch’ category. This is E.F Benson who wrote the quite marvellous ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels. Witty, observant, super characters and hilarious dialogues. The T.V series based on his books is on my go-to cheer me up list.
Next, an easy one…
I’m sure you recognise Terry Pratchett, creator of the Discworld novels. He is the kind of creative genius I aspire to be. I’ve recently read the biography that was written following his too-soon death, and by all accounts he was a bit of a grouchy arse sometimes, but hey! Who isn’t? I love his ingenuity, his wit, his characters, especially Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and the Librarian. Currently, I am reading ‘Wintersmith’ featuring Tiffany Aching and the Nac MacFeegles. He was a fine example of how to be a writer. A role model, if you will.
And finally, this lady. I have almost all of her novels but still a handful to collect. Any ideas?
This is Stella Gibbons, most famous for writing ‘Cold Comfort Farm’. And, having read many of her novels, I actually think ‘Cold Comfort Farm’, whilst very good, isn’t her best work. I like ‘Starlight’ and ‘Ticky’ better. And ‘The Woods in Winter’ and ‘Enbury Heath.’ But what I like best about Stella Gibbons is that as her career developed, and her editor/publisher began to get a bit bossy about telling her how to write, she said no, she would write how SHE wanted to write and that might not necessarily be what people wanted to read. She became a feisty old gal who knew what was best for her novels and she wasn’t afraid of rejecting advice if she didn’t approve of suggested changes to her work.
Now THAT is what I call staying true to yourself and to your art. Others might call it stubbornness or dogmatism. Others are entitled to their opinions. And it meant that her later novels didn’t sell as well as her earlier work. However, in recent years those later novels have seen a resurgence in popularity, and I enjoy them because they’ve got that raw edge that tells you you’re hearing her voice and not that of some agent or editor. She toed the line during her early career, then went loose cannon like a lot of us ladies do when we hit a certain age and no longer care what other people think. My kind of writer.
There are so many other authors I could mention. I’m terrible at choosing favourites. Unless it’s nuts. In which case, the answer is definitely walnut. No contest.
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