Author of the Day for Global Girls Online Book Club
On 18 March 2022, I was the ‘Author of the Day’ for the Global Girls Online Book Club. This is a Facebook Group with almost 10,000 members, half of whom are in Australia and a quarter in North America.
I could post as many times as I liked in 24 hours. It was a fantastic success, with lots of lively feedback.
Here’s a record of my posts…
Post 1
Hi everyone, my name is Valerie Norris and I’m delighted to be your Author of the Day. Many thanks to Jackie for facilitating this. If you have any responses, comments on my posts or private messages, I’d love to hear from you. I’m here today because in recent years I’ve published three novels with Cambria Publishing, which is in (old) South Wales, where I live. But more about the books (and a chance to have a free copy) later.
First, a bit about me. Four years ago Chris and I got married, and this is a picture from that day of me and my attendants, aka the grandchildren. (There are three more grandchildren now). As you can see, we are dressed to represent the chakra colours, or the colours of the rainbow, if you prefer. Do you have a mnemonic to remember the names of those colours? Let me know it, and I’ll pick one reply at random to receive a free book. I have a great one, which was made up by a school friend – I’ll tell you in my next post.
Post 2
The colours of the rainbow of course are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, and the great mnemonic I use is RUN ON YOU GIRLS, BOYS IN VIEW! Which brings me nicely to my first novel that Cambria published, In The Long Run.
If you like running, you’ll love this book. And if you’re not into running, you’ll get a taste of the joy and the pain of it, because the story is set against the London Marathon and a country pub.
The plot concerns two couples, Kitty and Rob, and Celia and Malcolm. After the first few chapters you might think you can see how the story is going, but I bet you’ll be wrong.
You can read more about this, and my other books, on my website, norriswriting.com.
The novel is set in 1992 because I was confident that was one of the two years I had run the London. So I did my research accordingly – who started the race that year, what the weather was like, what was popular to eat in pubs, what were the prices, what was played on the radio, etc.
Then when the first draft was nearly ready, I dug out my medals from the race and I discovered that I had competed in 1989, not 1992.
Aaah! What a false friend memory can be! But because I’d done all the research, In The Long Run remained in 1992.
Post 3
The next book that Cambria published of mine was The April Letters. Unusually, this book was pretty much fully formed before my fingers hit the keyboard. I’m not one for making notes (maybe not a good thing – what do you think?), and this book constructed itself in my head during dark quiet hours when I lay awake courting sleep, usually unsuccessfully.
The action is set partly in the 1960s, partly near the present day. It’s mainly in a Welsh village and the 1960s parts draw heavily on my own youth and young adulthood. I’d say it was mainly a psychological novel, and a romance, which delivers a twist near the end, from which everything falls into place. The early parts are set in a girls’ school, which was a huge nostalgia trip for me. Maybe it will ring bells for you.
Grief features in this novel, as in my other two. This is because they always say ‘write about what you know’, and recovery from grief has featured prominently in my life. Also, for the past 19 years I have volunteered with a charity and worked one-to-one with grieving people.
Post 4
Another life-changing event for me was in 1998 when I was Welsh Woman of the Year (as Valerie Randle). This was a tremendous honour, and put me on several different life tracks, for instance being a role model and a mentor for other women. But I didn’t foresee that two decades later I would have survived the sudden death of two spouses and now be a successful novelist.
Post 5
I am incredibly lucky to have found love again. My husband is the philosopher and poet Christopher Norris. One of Chris’s specialities is extremely clever rhyme schemes. For Valentine’s day this year he wrote for me this acrostic poem, which spells out my name vertically. Are there any acrostic poems that you would like to share? Maybe one you’ve written yourself? I love clever word play. Again, I’ll pick one at random to receive a complementary book.
Val, it seems only yesterday it came
Around, this special date of yours, and we
Last marked it with a kiss, so let the same
Event bring kisses annually and be
Remembered like a moving-picture frame
In time-lapse mode that’s made of you and me,
Each May since then, joint keepers of the flame.
No tie so close, no birthday wish so dear
Or heartfelt as the wish this verse conveys!
Read vertically and see your name appear
Rehearsed in loving letters so this day’s
Initialled for all time, from year to year,
Signed ‘Love you, Val’. Now let me count the ways!
Chris critically appraises and proofreads all my work. So I could say that any mistakes are on him…
Post 6
My most recent novel, published by Cambria, is Beyond Closure. Arguably it is the most compulsive of my three novels so far. ‘We see how human emotions can be unruly and unpredictable and can transform the course of an ordered life.’
This time I chose to set the book in the present day (before Covid, anyway) and to tell the story in the first-person voice of a male psychotherapist, Simon.
Putting myself in a man’s persona and being credible had its challenges!
Simon’s well-ordered life starts to unravel when he meets again Fleur, an old client of his. The plot takes us from near London to a little Spanish town on the island of Tenerife, off the coast of Africa. And I won’t give any more spoilers.
Post 7
And is there another book in the pipeline? Of course there is! I’m nearly halfway through the first draft.
If you need any help accessing my books, or you have queries/ comments, just ask.
Thank you for reading these posts and connecting with me. It’s been fun!
Oh, one last comment – although this is a girls’ network, my books are read by men too! Happy reading xx
You can join the Global Girls Online Book Club Facebook Group here: www.facebook.com/groups/2707378716037558