The Caduca by Elaine Graham-Leigh

2/5/2022

Multi-volume, fiction and non-fiction author, Elaine Graham-Leigh introduces us to her latest science fiction novel “The Caduca”:
The planet of Benan Ty is just another poor and violent ex-Terran colony. Now the Chi!me, the major power in the galaxy, are coming to broker a peace deal between guerrilla group ViaVera and the government.
For Quila, a rising figure in the Chi!me diplomatic service, the posting to Benan Ty could be the making of her career. Meanwhile Terise, one of ViaVera's inner circle, is just trying to get her lover out with his life. But in a conflict where no side's motivations are pure, they are both about to discover how much they have to lose.
Set in a future where humanity has gone to the stars, but taken exploitation and oppression with them, this is a story of imperialism, resistance, friendship and ultimately, liberation.

This story was a true pleasure to read. While there was quite a bit of narration each chapter was devoted to one or two main characters so the point of view kept changing and that increased my interest factor. Each person thought they were the hero in the story they were telling.
The story explored contrasting concepts such as loyalty and betrayal, love and loss, greed and benevolence. So many broad experiences are well represented in this story.
With many actors, this story is full of the human condition and is an excellent read!
I award 4.6 stars to "The Caduca".

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Caduca-Elaine-Graham-Leigh-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-the-caduca
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-caduca-elaine-graham-leigh

You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/egrahamleigh
https://redpuffin.net

Copyright © 2022 Mark Schultz except for the author’s introduction

76 Comments

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/6/2022 01:14:46 pm

So glad you liked it! I'm particularly pleased that you enjoyed the different voices - getting a range of voices, including from bystanders who wouldn't usually get to say anything, was part of my project for the novel from very early on, so it's very encouraging to hear that it came off. Looking forward to talking about it further!

Mark

2/6/2022 03:32:35 pm

I did enjoy the different voices. I like first person POV a great deal. Though this felt different, most of the first person POV books I have read were done in present tense. Your book seemed to be in past tense much of the time. Maybe that was the reminiscing and review of old memories. In bits and pieces, the backstory was filled in quite well.
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/6/2022 06:49:00 pm

Interesting, to me past tense feels like the default, I would only write in the present tense if I wanted a specific effect. I suppose in my head, even though this is all about 900 years in the future, it is slightly in the past - I don't know yet what's happening now, but the events of The Caduca aren't quite 'now', if that makes sense.

Hmm, about me... well, I've loved writing stories ever since I learnt how to write. My first book was when I was about 5. It was about a goblin called Make the Take (because he took things) and it was all about him stealing and getting away with it, because I had a thing about villians. I wrote the beginning out myself and then made my mum do the rest when my arm got tired, neatly demonstrating the importance of good editors to writers. I'd like to think my fiction has got a bit more sophisticated since then!

I've lived all my life in London and fit in fiction writing between political activism, writing non-fiction (politics and medieval history) and the bill-paying job. It means that everything gets written very slowly, but it gets there in the end.

Mark

2/7/2022 07:22:35 am

Your goblin story sounds very cute.
And yes, editors are very important. It has been said before, a good book is not written, it is rewritten many times.
Next questions.
What kind of work do you do? Feel free to skip that question, if you would rather not answer.
Does your work have any influence on your writing?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/7/2022 09:07:00 am

I work for a charity - I trained as an accountant, but these days I mostly do data and systems stuff. It's a living!

I don't think it has much influence on my writing. I did write a novel all about the horrible ennui of office work when I was in my twenties and first started having to do it, but that one is still languishing on my hard drive.

My political activism is a huge influence on my writing, as you'll have been able to tell, but I don't get paid for that!

Mark

2/7/2022 10:11:45 am

The joys of office work. I promoted a book called "The Good Audit". It made me laugh like crazy. I am not an accountant nor have I worked in an office, but funny is funny! You can find the review on my website.
Your book is full of politics without getting lost in the weeds, you made it all about the people, politics is merely a fulcrum for action. Well done.
New questions.
What inspired you to write this book?
Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/7/2022 11:26:58 am

The Caduca brings together some bits of different stories I'd been writing for a very long time - there are elements in there of a very unrealistic story I first wrote when I was about 15 - but the main inspiration was my experience of protesting against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was spending so much of my time thinking about imperialism and its effects that it seemed inevitable to express it in fiction as well.

Science fiction is in some ways an odd genre for me as I'm not very interested in science (as you may be able to tell!) The reason why I use this for The Caduca and for my short stories is the freedom it gives me to invent different societies, explore different ways of organising and the effects that different conditions have on the people who live in them. When you have a whole universe to play in, you can find somewhere to locate pretty much any story you can come up with. Plus no one can fact check me in my invented universe, heh heh heh.

Mark

2/7/2022 12:56:56 pm

Caduca qualifies as soft science fiction. The lack of science explanations allows the reader to focus on the relationships and action. Your story benefits greatly from that choice.
Science fiction allows the imagination of the author and readers full freedom in the story. So many of the concepts are deeply ingrained in the minds of sci-fi fans and need no explanation. Another excellent choice.
New questions.
Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
What do the elements on the cover represent?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/7/2022 01:03:47 pm

The designer was Charlotte Mouncey: https://reedsy.com/charlotte-mouncey, arranged through my publisher, The Conrad Press. She did a fantastic job with what I suspect was a rather incoherent brief. All I said was that it should look a bit South American and a bit alien, and she came up with this lovely cover.

The light striking the valley is a reference to ViaVera, the guerilla/terrorist group in the novel, whose name means True Road in Latin. It's also I think a shout out to the hope of liberation that all sorts of different people and groups have in the book, although they have different ways of trying to achieve that.

Mark

2/7/2022 01:47:53 pm

She did a nice job. I didn't understand the roll of the light in the picture.
Humans want to be free, no doubt about that.
New questions.
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/7/2022 02:58:28 pm

The title came quite easily - I wanted a title that would show, in retrospect at least, what the novel was really about, so it was an obvious choice. In science fiction you can get away with titles whose meaning isn't obvious, as long as it sounds good and isn't too difficult to pronounce. The Caduca is a mystical figure in the religion of the indigenous people of Benan Ty. I got the name from the Latin word caduceus, which is the symbol with the snakes winding round the staff, which I was fascinated by while I was first planning the novel out.

The character names are less planned out. I developed some rules for how names work, like that Chi!me names have an initial syllable, which is the equivalent of the family name, and then a longer personal name after a breath (signified by an apostrophe when translating them into Terran), or that most Benan Ty names are vaguely Spanish, because it was mostly settled from Spanish-speaking countries. Within those rules though, it's just what feels right for that character.

When I'm naming a new character, I'll try out various names to see how the shape of it works, does it taste right, is it the right colour, and so on, until I'm happy with it. Once they're named, I can't change it, however inappropriate it turns out to be. One of the characters has a mispelled Hungarian name, because I'd misremembered it from a book I read long ago. I realised long before publication, but it's too late to change it. My defence is that this name has evolved in the intervening 900 years!

Mark

2/7/2022 03:59:24 pm

I like how you have thought through on the naming. It all makes sense and it works well.
The Ch!lme name might be an exception. In the e-book, if the name Ch!lme was near the end of the sentence it was split without a hyphen. Of course, you know where. I got used to it quickly. But it still made me look twice each time.
The vaguely Spanish names were comforting, though. I recognize a lot of those words.
Good defense for the Hungarian name!
New questions.
Is this your newest book?
What other books and genres have you written?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/7/2022 06:12:59 pm

I put any difficulties with the name Chi!me to the difficulties in transliterating alien names into human languages. I imagine the Chi!me language as something approximating 'click' languages, so the exclamation mark is standing in for a sound that native speakers of Western languages aren't familiar with and have difficulty managing. I don't think the Chi!me have hyphens, either, and lucky them!

The Caduca is indeed my most recent book. I've also written medieval history, specifically about the Albigensian crusade, against heretics in the south of France in the early thirteenth century, and have also written a couple of books on climate change. I'm currently working on a history of a revolt in Carcassonne, in the south of France, in the early fourteenth century. I like to keep things varied.

Mark

2/7/2022 07:58:04 pm

Alien languages will certainly have their own rules of grammar. Tolkien could probably help me with that if he was around. No hyphens sounds wonderful! I would consider myself very blessed if there was no need for hyphens.
I liked the idea of blue skin. It sounds lovely.
History is in my top ten of favorite genres, historical fiction is in my top five. I understand it can be quite difficult to write because expert opinions can vary so much.
New questions.
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/8/2022 02:35:14 am

No, I'm not very keen on writing contests. I do get that they're a good way of getting your writing a bigger audience, but I suppose I always have difficulty believing that anything I write could be 'the best.' The Caduca is in the People's Book Prize, an entry my publisher organised, but that's it.

Mark

2/8/2022 08:07:07 am

There is another reason to enter legitimate writing contests. Many contests offer an unbiased critique of the entry and that can be useful for writers.
A caveat, there are scammy writing contests along with good ones. Here is a copy-and-paste link by one of my favorite bloggers to learn more: Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests
New question.
Have you ever gone through the query process, seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers or did you go straight to indie publishing and why?

Elaine Graham-leigh link

2/8/2022 08:41:02 am

I made a few rather desultory approaches to agents and publishers some time ago, but didn't try it very seriously before going to indie publishing. It was really frustration on my part - I didn't want to go on banging my head against a brick wall when there was another way to get my story out there and into people's hands. I'm not in it to make money, I'm in it to have people read what I've written, so this seemed like the best way. I think it was the right decision for me, and from my experience with non-fiction publishing, The Conrad Press have done at least a good a job as many mainstream publishers with design, publicity etc.

Mark

2/8/2022 10:33:27 am

Your decision was a good one. Amazon has not only turned over the traditional publishing industry apple cart Amazon has also smashed it into toothpicks. Look at how much the TP industry has shrunk, there are only four or five major publishing houses left in America. The others have either folded or been bought up. Many of the medium and small publishers are gone also. Their refusal to embrace the new paradigm of ebooks is a major factor. They publish ebooks with a minimum of effort and fanfare, don't get me wrong but they only do it because consumers are demanding it. However, they price them higher than the market because they want people to buy the "real" book.
When an author signs a contract in the TP industry the author loses most, if not all, of the control over the book; unless the author has a good lawyer. The publisher may change the cover, require rewriting the story and delay publication by a year or more. All in an effort to maximize their profits. Who can blame them, their profit margins are so slim they are hanging on by a thread much of the time. They are in survival mode, they don't take chances anymore. Every book has to sell thousands of copies to begin to break even.
Their business model is outdated and antiquated in the digital age.
I will get off of my soapbox now. Thank you.
I am glad you have had a good experience with Conrad Press.
New questions.
When you decided to indie-publish how did you pick a publisher?
Is your publisher doing anything to market your book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/8/2022 02:12:39 pm

The Conrad Press was recommended to me by a fellow member of the writers' group I'm part of. I liked the way that they're not a huge conglomerate, so you get to know the individuals a bit in a way you wouldn't do with some of the more impersonal outfits I'd come across.

They did a fair bit of marketing when The Caduca first came out in the UK and managed to get it some editorial reviews in the press over here, which was great and not something I think I would have had much luck with myself.

They also recommended Hybrid Global to me, who are the publishers of the US edition. They've also been great to work with and have done a load of marketing, including a very successful Amazon bestseller campaign.

None of this has been free, of course, but that's indie publishing for you. I'm just glad to see the book reaching people I don't already know in person.

Mark

2/8/2022 03:13:08 pm

I am glad your experience with these indie publishers has been so good. A small firm can excel at the personal touch.
You make a great point about nothing being free. There is always a cost, in personal time if you do it yourself or in money when you pay someone to do it for you.
Most any skill can be learned, given enough time. The internet makes that promise. The indie author is always balancing time and money. Quite a few authors, after self-publishing several books, open a publishing house or offer workshops to authors. They share their knowledge for a fee.
To be honest, most authors don't make a profit from the first several books for several years. The indie author has to have a long-term view and develop multiple streams of income from their writing including multiple formats and going wide. We will talk more about that down the road.
New questions.
How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?
There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/8/2022 03:43:57 pm

That's a couple of tricky questions! I'd like to think that it's comparable to something from a major publisher. I'm aware there are some errors that crept in to the layout for the US edition, but unfortunately even that isn't unknown now from mainstream publishers. I've read some recent books from majors with noticeable typos, editing and layout issues etc. Proof reading is certainly no longer standard.

I think the thing that gets me most about all sorts of unethical practices in publishing is the underlying idea, which you see in all sorts of places, that writing a book when you aren't a famous or well-connected person with a lucrative contract is essentially a risible thing to do, so you deserve to be taken for a mug. It's not axiomatic that any indie book is rubbish, but indie authors are often treated as if it is. Sure, some indie stuff isn't great, but that's true for mainstream publishing as well. The worst book I've read in the last year is published by a very well-regarded publisher and clearly has a substantial marketing budget (and I'm not saying what the book is!).

Mark

2/8/2022 05:28:54 pm

You are so right! The books issued by the major traditional publishers have errors.
I read indie authors nearly exclusively, forty to sixty books a year. For the last seven years, as long as I have been actively tracking spelling errors, every book has had spelling errors; except for one, each year I have found one book without spelling errors, for the last seven years. That includes at least two books by major publishers.
When ebooks first arrived on the scene they were quite the novelty! People were buying ebook readers as fast as they could find them. There wasn't a lot of content. A few writers were making a lot of money. A lot more writers jumped into that market and churned out books as fast as they could. Most were first drafts. It didn't take long for a lot of the new consumers to be left with a bad in their mouth with ebooks. Many left and vowed to never return to that market. That is a significant reason why indie authors are looked down upon.
As millions of us know now there is a great deal of superb writing just waiting to be consumed. I have read many fabulous ebooks in the last 15 years or so. There have also been a few clinkers.
New questions.
Do you have a favorite book by another author or just favorite authors?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/8/2022 06:25:55 pm

I think the author I most admire is Ursula Le Guin - if I could someday write something half as good as anything of hers, I'd be happy. I love Always Coming Home for its experiments in form, its willingness to take risks and expect the reader to keep up, and for its portrayal of a simple utopia full of plump people. Obviously I love The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness as well, but I'd also like to give a shout out to The Telling, an underrated but very nearly perfect later novel of hers. I've read it so often I could recite passages, but I'll restrain myself.

I first tried to read Always Coming Home when I was 13 or 14 and starting to explore the adult shelves in the library. Predictably, I hated it, because it wasn't at all like Earthsea and my sensibility was more romantic. My childhood favourite was Rosemary Sutcliff's The Lantern Bearers, which is still right up there among my favourites now:

'I sometimes think that we stand at sunset... It may be that the night will close over us in the end, but I believe that morning will come again. Morning always grows again out of the darkness, though maybe not for the people who saw the sun go down. We are the Lantern Bearers, my friend; for us to keep something burning, to carry what light we can forward into the darkness and the wind.'

Who could resist that?

Mark

2/8/2022 07:39:26 pm

Ursula was a versatile writer. She died in 2018, in my recent hometown of Portland, Oregon. We moved to Florida last year.
That is a lovely passage from Sutcliff.
I wish I could say I have read books by both authors. I am certain I would enjoy them.
New questions.
Which of your books is your favorite, and why?
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/9/2022 02:31:14 am

Like parents with their children, of course I love all my books equally! Really though I think The Caduca is my favourite - writing fiction remains my first love, and for me it's a more emotional thing than writing non-fiction. Writing medieval history or politics can feel like a job, even if it's an interesting one, whereas fiction writing is never that.

No, I don't think writing has a spiritual element for me. As to whether it's energising, well, some days it is, some days every sentence feels so much effort it's like grinding it out of granite. You just have to hope you have more of the former than the latter.

Mark

2/9/2022 07:50:51 am

That makes sense. Writing fiction means you are the artist creating a picture for others to enjoy. Entertaining is one thing, informing is another. Crafting a perfect sentence, paragraph or scene that moves the story forward is easier at certain times than others.
New questions.
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/9/2022 02:20:44 pm

Hmmm, I'm not sure I agree with the premise of the question there. It's important of course to understand the emotions of the characters, and sometimes you'll want the tone of your writing to reflect how your viewpoint character is feeling, but I wouldn't call that tapping into, quite. Sometimes, after all, it's necessary to cut against the emotions the character is feeling at a particular moment, like if they're feeling on top of the world, but you want the reader to sense that something awful is round the corner for them. But certainly, you need to be able to convey emotion rather than just describing it. Nothing destroys a passage like too many adverbs!

No, I've never done NaNoWriMo. I'm a planner - I don't sit down and write anything until I know thoroughly where it's going - and I'm not looking to change that.

Mark

2/9/2022 02:49:32 pm

I think you are right. many of my questions are purposely vague, open to your interpretation.
At the base, we are all emotional creatures. Everything we do has emotional undertones whether we are aware or not. The happy character in a book can be blissfully unaware of the impending plot twist about to descend like an avalanche. Isn't that the underlying basis of so much fiction? A reluctant protagonist forced to make unwelcome choices due to circumstances beyond the control of the protagonist.
You might enjoy NaNoWriMo. Many plotters, like yourself, do a lot of advance work before the first of November. They outline their book to differing degrees, some right down to every scene. Some develop a character sheet for the major characters. Some create a vision board also with pictures that represent what they see in their mind's eye. Many also join groups for fun and support. 50,000 first-draft words can go quickly with proper planning.
I am not a writer but I suspect if I was I would be a plotter also.
New questions.
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer? When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/9/2022 03:00:02 pm

Definitely an under-writer, particularly in non-fiction. My husband, who is the first reader of everything I write, is always commenting 'this paragraph needs unpacking'. I think I tend to telescope arguments when I'm not altogether confident about them. Once I'm hitting my stride in the second draft, I'm more prepared to spell out what I mean.

It's not such a problem for me in fiction, mostly because when I plan, I also plan about how long each section has to be, so I'm making sure I'm hitting approximately the right length as I go. It doesn't mean it doesn't need editing, of course! I've found that writing short stories has been very good at training me to look at every word and think 'does this really need to be there?'

Mark

2/9/2022 03:41:52 pm

That makes sense, different writing for different types of materials. The first draft is you explaining the concept to yourself. Getting it out of your head allows you to grasp it and begin to unpack it. The first draft is supposed to be a sloppy mess that needs lots of massaging.
Short stories and contests are great ways to hone writing skills.
New questions.
Have you ever used yourself or other acquaintances as a starting point for a character in a story?
Would they recognize you or themselves in the story?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/9/2022 06:52:58 pm

I try not to use people I know for major characters as I never find it works very well. There are characters in The Caduca who take a mannerism or two from people I used to know though. I hope they wouldn't recognise themselves as it's not terribly complimentary!

I definitely used to use myself in my writing. It was a theme of my stories going back into childhood, that I would write about two female characters, often sisters, who in a sense represented two different aspects of myself, or two different roles in life that I was trying out in my head. The story which went on to form part of the basis of The Caduca is pretty much the first time I was able to come up with two female characters who didn't fit that pattern. Neither Quila nor Terise is me in any meaningful way, and their dilemnas aren't mine. Fortunately for me!

Mark

2/9/2022 09:52:21 pm

Many writers work the same way. Rather than ruffling the feathers of friends or family they don't usually pattern any book characters after the family characters. The few who did regretted it because the friend or family member usually picked out the worst aspect and complained. Borrowing a mannerism or two provides lots of deniability.
Good thing that your life is far better and smoother than those two characters. Terise's end was expected and sad. Quila, however, didn't have an true end if I recall properly. Her story could continue.
New questions.
Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/10/2022 07:22:33 am

I'm not sure there's a general rule, but in The Caduca at least, writing one of the antagonists - Desailly - was much more fun than either of the protagonists. It took me a while to figure out why, but I realised it's because he's the truth teller in the novel. Both of my protagonists in different ways are fooling themselves, whereas Desailly does terrible things and owns them. He's clear eyed about his own motivations and other people's, which made him liberating to write. If not to meet in person!

Mark

2/10/2022 08:44:20 am

Desailly is an interesting character and I love that insight. I didn't recognize it myself but it rings true. His last center-stage appearance was full of truth. He had a good idea of his end.
People lie to themselves quite a bit. I have caught myself doing that on more than one occasion.
New questions.
Which is more important to a story pace or flow? How do you control it?
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/10/2022 10:01:13 am

I think pace is vital, and it's a neglected art. I can think of so many mainstream books where the pacing is just off, and it really ruins it. I find it's a real contrast with your standard mid-list novel for most of the twentieth century, which tended to be tightly paced. Think of Daphne du Maurier, Rumer Godden, Nigel Balchin, Nevil Shute, Josephine Tey - whatever their other faults, they all knew how to pace a story for maximum effect.

I can't claim that I always get it right, of course, but the way I try to do it is through planning. It's only by working the structure out before I write anything that I can judge what needs to happen where. To the reader of course it needs to seem like it flows effortlessly, but I don't find I can get that effect without a lot of effortful work!

I don't really have a writing routine as such, unless 'turn on laptop, stare at blank screen, scroll through Twitter' counts as a routine! It really depends on what I'm doing. If I'm planning a story I'll be sat in a chair scribbling in a notebook; if I'm writing I'm probably staring out of the window waiting for inspiration to strike.

Mark

2/10/2022 11:06:56 am

Pace and flow are interrelated. One affects the other, sometimes dramatically.
You are right, good writing appears easy to the reader but that is the result of lots of rewriting. It has been said that every word needs to earn it's place on the page.
You answered a future question now. You do at lest some of your note taking in a notebook or binder. Analog style. Some writers do, but that number is shrinking from my perspective. Admittedly a very small sample.
There are many new apps out that try to incorporate notes in the writing process. Scrivener is the one I have heard the most about. I know a few writers that swear by it and they admit the learning curve is steep but well worth it.
New questions.
Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?
Did your writing process change much from your early books to your current book or did it stay the same?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/10/2022 11:39:06 am

I've also seen people praising various notetaking apps, but for me it's all about positioning. I find it difficult to muse at my desk, but I hate typing without a keyboard, so the initial thinking stages have to be on paper for me. Once I'm actually planning though I'm a devotee of OneNote, which has the advantage of having very little learning curve at all.

I write mostly in a straight line, but with a few diversions! I will sometimes leave a section to come back to, if it's not working quite right but I can't work out how to fix it yet, and equally if I find a scene for later on is really clear in my mind, I'll write an early version down so that it hasn't slipped away by the time the main narrative gets to it. Mostly though, I start at the beginning and go on to the end.

I used not to, and that's the main way by fiction writing has changed over the years. I used to have great difficulty in writing a straightforward narrative, so my earliest attempts at novels used different structures to mean that I didn't have to. There's one (the one about office work being awful) which has about four different strands, and I wrote that strand by strand and then put them together at the end. I'm now better (I hope) at writing a linear narrative, so it seems to make more sense to write sections in the order I expect my readers to read them.

Mark

2/10/2022 12:47:18 pm

Good to know about OneNote. I am not familiar with it and I am not an author.
Those diversions make a lot of sense. A lot of authors write like that, also.
New questions.
Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?
What else are you writing these days?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/10/2022 02:44:43 pm

Aside from the typos, you mean :) I adopt the position held to by the sculptors on the Parthenon - they would leave a small area on the rear of the statues rough, because trying to be perfect would be hubris. Perfection is for the gods alone, is my defence of poor proof-reading! (I'm not expecting you to agree with me!)

One response I got to the UK edition was that there should be a list of characters, so I was pleased to be able to put that in for the US edition. Other than that, there's not really anything I'd change. I'm sure if I started writing it from scratch today I'd do it differently, but I think I just want to learn for the next project rather than keeping on redoing previous ones.

I'm currently working on a history of a rebellion in Carcassonne, in the south of France, in 1303. It's a fascinating little episode, where unusually we have a fair bit of first person testimony, so you can start getting a little bit of a sense of what people thought at the time. I'm trying to make it a popular history rather than an academic work, so it will be accessible for people who don't know much about the period. I hope, anyway. I'm only half way through and there's loads more research to be done, so it will be a while.

Mark

2/10/2022 03:06:12 pm

Of course, fix the typos by all means. Proofreading your own work requires a particular mental rigor. It is very hard because our brains want to show us a correct version of what we are reading. It can be done and it is easier if some tricks are employed to fool the brain. Changing the font, font size, font color and background color will help. Reading the material out loud or have the computer read it aloud. Another good trick is to read the material backward from the end one paragraph at a time.
Learning from the previous book is a great strategy. I have heard of some editors, when presented with the writer's first book, who throw the first book into the garbage and tell the writer to write another book that will be worth publishing. I am not that editor.
The rebellion sounds interesting. Is it going to be Historical Fiction? HF is in my top five of favorite genres to read.
New questions.
What do you do to launch a new book when it is first published?
Have you ever participated in a book blog tour, why or why not?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/10/2022 06:49:20 pm

The Carcassonne book is going to be non-fiction, although the story would make a great film. So if there are any Hollywood producers in your readership...

I don't think I've cracked how to launch a book successfully, really. I suppose it's a combination of book launch, trying to get reviews and any other publicity I can come by. One thing I've been told and am learning is true is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. I used to think that publicity for a book all happened in the launch month, and then, either you'd made it or you hadn't. That may be true for topical books but for everything else, the publicity rolls on.

I haven't participated in a book blog tour, simply because when The Caduca came out, I couldn't find anyone who wanted to organise one for it. It seemed to be a genre thing - people were telling me that they didn't have blogs that would cover science fiction. I'd probably look into it again if I wrote fiction in a different genre, but that's not going to be any time soon.

Mark

2/10/2022 07:09:16 pm

I bet the Carcassone story has most if not all of the essential elements for a grand film.
There are different ways to hold a book launch and a book tour is only one. On my Twitter page I have lists of people who provide reviews and promotions for books. Check their requirements carefully before approaching them. I have no doubt that there are lots of sci-fi book blogs out there.
Book promotion is an ultra-marathon without a doubt. I have been recommending to authors for years to devote at least one hour of writing time every two weeks to keep that moving forward.
A lot of blogs have been written about promoting and marketing books. There are several good guest blogs on my website, plus I many dozens of links to blogs on those topics on my Highly Regarded Blogs page elsewhere on my website.
New questions.
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?
What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/11/2022 05:27:11 am

As I think the best science fiction always is, The Caduca is very much about the world of today, it's just using the futuristic setting to be able to explore it.

I'd hope that readers would remember more than one thing! But if I have to pick just one... I think that things can always change. You can be in the most hopeless situation, like the indigenous people, the Jeba, but it doesn't mean that there will never be anything you can do about it.

Mark

2/11/2022 08:09:14 am

Most fiction is a mirror that is used to show us things about our world that are and should be different.
"The Caduca" does that quite well. Nothing ever stays the same. Everything is permanent until further notice.
New questions.
What software, besides One Note, do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/11/2022 03:32:31 pm

I don't use anything very complicated. I write in Word and I keep a huge Excel spreadsheet detailing about 400 years of imaginary galactic history, so that I can keep all the backstory straight. I have a number of short stories set in the same universe, so it's really important that the events in one story are consistent with what I invent later. As soon as I think of a new political development, into the spreadsheet it goes! There's probably a fancy database program that would do this much better, but it's worked for me so far.

I think for me, the temptation of shiny software is to spend so much time on perfecting the software solution that it crowds out the writing, a bit like spending all your revision time for exams colouring in your revision timetable.

I haven't yet reused a specific character in different short stories, or in between The Caduca and the short stories, so keeping track of the characters hasn't been as difficult. I don't find it hard to remember how I've described characters so that stuff can usually stay in my head.

Mark

2/11/2022 03:53:58 pm

Almost all writers use Word. That is not too surprising since the installed user base is huge and nearly world wide.
You have a lot of work invested in that spreadsheet. It sounds like it works great for you.
The new and shiny is a big temptation for many of us. I still do most of my record keeping in analog form. I have three steno pads and a 3-ring binder.
New questions.
Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?
Do you have defined space for writing at home, or would you be a coffee-shop writer, if we weren’t stuck in the Covid mess?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/11/2022 04:55:25 pm

Yes, that's definitely a familiar feeling! In The Caduca, I started out determined that I was going to give Terise a happy ending. She was always my favourite of my two protagonists, and I wanted things to work out for her. But all along, she was telling me, 'no, this is going to end badly, you know it is' and in the end, I had to listen to her. I'm aware it must be incredibly annoying when authors say things like 'my characters said to me...' but they do!

I'm very fortunate in that I can have my own study, so that's where I do all my writing (and working from home and Zoom meetings etc etc). I can't imagine writing anywhere I can't have the sound levels and the arrangement exactly as I like them, so I've never been one for working in a coffee shop. I've managed it occasionally on trains but not from choice.

Mark

2/11/2022 05:04:02 pm

Almost every author I have interviewed has shared a similar experience. Even some plotters, though the writer resists the suggestion at first eventually they change their mind and acquiesce to the characters.
I accept what the authors tell me. Even though I am not a writer.
I understand about having your own space. It can be very important. I used to have an office, before we moved to Florida, now I have a large cubby in our apartment. It is adequate.
New questions.
Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/11/2022 06:59:57 pm

I usually listen to music while I'm writing, but it has to be right for the mood. Particular artists or songs will get attached to particular sections and I'll then have to listen to those over and over while I'm working on them. It's all about creating the atmosphere - if I can't feel it, I can't write it. If The Caduca were ever to be made into a movie, I'd be insisting on some idiosyncratic score choices!

I find action the most difficult, definitely. It's really hard to strike a balance between getting the point of the action across and just describing a fight scene blow by blow for several pages. I don't fundamentally find that sort of action all that interesting - there's a science fiction/fantasy author I like, Mary Gentle, who tends to have very long fight scenes and I just end up skipping them all. The books read fine when I do that, which tells you something about how necessary or not they are. Then there is the whole 'these two characters are stopping to have a long conversation in the middle of a battle' problem, which not even Shakespeare really solved. Action is hard!

Mark

2/11/2022 09:05:25 pm

Quite a few authors have said a similar thing. When music features prominently in a story some authors have a playlist of songs, one for each chapter. A few have created a playlist for the major characters. Others have used a few lyrics to introduce each chapter.
Frequently, authors use music for inspiration, like you do.
You make a great point about action. I love action scenes, some are really good. I didn't miss the action in your book, it was there in the background never in the way.
New questions.
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Have you ever done any theater, written a play or any screenwriting?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/12/2022 05:40:23 am

Hmm, interesting question! I think it's easiest to describe what characters see, and not too hard to describe what they hear, but taste, touch and smell are rather more elusive. When I'm writing, I tend to see the scenes in my head as if they're a film, so I'm trying to convey the experience of watching that film to the readers, if that makes sense. So taste, touch and smell don't enter it into it as much, unless you include stale popcorn and people whispering in the row behind!

You'd think from that, that I'd be into screenplay writing but in fact I never have. Not sure why, it's just not anything I've ever been drawn to. You are much more reliant on other people with screenwriting or play writing than with writing a novel - there's not much point writing plays if no one ever performs them. Whereas all I have to do is get the words down on the page, much easier!

Mark

2/12/2022 07:59:33 am

Most authors report a similar experience. Sight and hearing are the easiest senses to write about.
I completely get the movie-in-my-head experience. When I am reading I experience the same thing. The well-written books project a clear movie on my mind-screen.
Of course, screenwriting and playwriting are slightly different methods of telling a story. Each has their parameters and expectations. I have encouraged authors to take a class and learn those techniques. They will gain more tools in their writer's toolbox.
New questions.
What kind of marketing are you doing or planning on doing for your book?
What kind of marketing has worked the best and the least for you for this book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/12/2022 12:26:32 pm

I really haven't been very systematic about marketing, and since I'm not self-published, it's hard to track what's effective and what's not, since I only get six-monthly sales figures, and those months after the end of the period. I suspect you just have to take every chance you can to get the book out there. I'd have to bow to other people's expertise on what works and what doesn't, but I have to admit I'm skeptical about those endless writers lifts on Twitter. I've never felt like those are actually reaching anyone who might buy the book. Maybe others have had a better experience though.

Mark

2/12/2022 01:13:12 pm

Marketing and promotion can be a lot of work, depending on how much effort is expended. Plus, there is no guarantee. What works for one author might not work for another. The only guarantee is no effort will bring no results.
You are right, there are many opportunities around you and each writer that largely go unnoticed and unused. Community-based newspapers, radio and TV stations. The broadcast media platforms are always scrambling to fill airtime. Also community access cable TV. Next, many medium to large towns have colleges and even high schools with broadcast technology classes or clubs that might be happy to interview a local author.
Exploring the local author angle can yield good results. Seek placement of your books at local tourist spots such as gift stores, souvenir shops, restaurants, museums and hotels. Consider investing in small, cardboard, countertop holders for a few books with a picture of the book inside and ordering information on the back. Start by trying to sell the books at a discount to the shop owner or offer consignment.
You might be able to do readings and signings at local bookstores, book clubs and writing arts classes at all levels. Many authors have found good success having a booth at flea markets, fairs and farmers markets.
Speaking to civic organizations could be a good opportunity also.
While extensive, this list is not exhaustive. I am sure other opportunities abound. I would suggest having a few books in your car all the time. You just never know when the opportunity for a sale will occur.
I am skeptical of those lift things also. I do participate but not a lot. My thought is it can't hurt too much. I am careful not to use hashtags such as follow for follow and such. Twitter has been cracking down and suspending people who use those too much. How much is too much? No idea.
New questions.
Speaking of marketing, why did you pick me to help promote your book?
How do you know when a book is finished?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/12/2022 02:36:09 pm

You were recommended to me by Vince of Boomers on Books - he interviewed me a while ago and suggested that I should check out your site as well. It was a good suggestion!

In some senses, you never know when a book is finished, because in theory there are always going to be things you could improve. I think it's about emotionally reaching a point where you can say, I've done all I am prepared to do to this' and then deciding if it's good enough to let out in the world. It may not be the best that anyone could do, or the best thing that I will ever write, but there does have to be an endpoint, if only so you can move on to the next project.

Mark

2/12/2022 03:37:00 pm

I appreciate Vince, I am the other half of 'Boomers on Books'. I helped him develop the idea in the beginning, worked with him on the pilot episode. I don't like myself on video, it amplifies my stammering. I got really busy with a long stretch of proofreading and didn't get back to it.
Your response is similar to many other authors. At some point, you have to turn your baby loose and let it fly on its own. Starting a new project is great fun also, I have heard. A shiny new thing, full of promise!
New questions.
How long does the research process take before you start to write a book or do you do the research as you write the book?
How much time passed from when you got the idea to write your book; then actually starting to write the book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/12/2022 07:00:08 pm

It really depends. The Carcassonne book I'm working on is based on three years' worth of research (interspersed with other projects as well), but fiction for me takes much less time. There's not much scholarship to research on my imaginary universe!

I used to think that you had to do all the research before you started even to think about writing (that's my PhD training speaking) but I'm realising now that it's legitimate to start drafting some things to get a sense of the further questions you need to ask of your research. Spending days and weeks on directionless research is fine when you're a student and don't have anything else to do, but it's a luxury I can't afford.

With the The Caduca, it only really came together as an idea for a book very shortly before I started writing it, but there are elements in there of stories I'd been writing in different forms for a good twenty years before that. I think the idea isn't a singular event, it's a process of working towards the idea for the novel. Like I'm sure most other writers, I do have a folder of ideas of novels, but I suspect that my next one won't be using any of them directly. I suspect that if they were really good ideas, I'd have written them already.

Mark

2/12/2022 07:24:10 pm

That makes a lot of sense. Writing historical non-fiction is going to require a lot more research than most fiction, even hard science fiction.
I have never had to write a thesis for a PhD or any other degree. I do agree that rough drafting is a good idea to resolve the focus and get a clearer idea of the topic.
You are right, many authors have a folder or notebook with story ideas in it.
A mediocre idea can change into a good idea if circumstances and literary tastes change at a given time. It's wise to save them even if they are never used.
New questions.
How long did it take you to write the first draft?
How many drafts did you go through to have a ready-to-publish manuscript?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/13/2022 07:46:47 am

I think it was about a year for the very first draft. It has been through several since then but I'd have difficulty saying how many - I didn't really keep track of different drafts as such, I just kept fiddling with it! I suspect it probably equates to about 4 full redrafts, over some years, with other projects in between. I don't know if that's a lot or not.

Mark

2/13/2022 08:27:39 am

That sounds pretty good. Some authors say they write their first draft furiously and others spend a lot of time laboring over it.
Truly, the first draft is just getting the idea out of your head. For a plotter, part of that is accomplished in the plotting, the necessary research can stretch the timeline out.
Some beginning writers make the mistake of trying to produce a perfect first draft. That usually winds up with that first draft never being completed because the muse gets tired of hanging around and leaves.
New questions.
Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?
How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/13/2022 09:17:57 am

I did! I talked at the beginning about my first 'novel' when I was about 5. I can't really remember a time when I wasn't making up stories and writing them down.

I put it down to the fact that I have always - since I was a baby, according to my harassed parents - found it very hard to fall asleep. I used to while away the time waiting to sleep by telling myself stories, which was sometimes counterproductive as I'd keep myself awake so that I could carry on with the story.

My parents are both great readers, so growing up in a bookish household, it was natural to write down the stories I was making up. I don't have a specific moment of realisation about the power of words, it was just one of the assumptions underlying my earliest life.

Mark

2/13/2022 11:26:36 am

You did mention your first 'novel'. I love that.
I learned to read about that age. A retired school teacher, she lived behind us, taught me while I sat on the fence.
My parents were readers also. They split up when I was around 4. My mom read a lot to me. I grew up with a love for reading and passed it down to our three children.
I love that you grew up with the assumption that words are powerful. I grew up with that also.
New questions.
A lot of new authors struggle with finding beta readers. Because, after the first draft is done, fresh eyes and feedback become very important.
Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing? If you don’t, why?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/13/2022 12:10:50 pm

I'm very lucky as my partner - also a writer - is a very good beta reader, critical in all the right ways. He reads everything I write as soon as it's ready to be shown to anyone else, and I do the same for him.

I'm also a member of a local writers' group, in which we read each other's work and critique it, so between these two avenues, I've felt rich in really good quality beta readers.

I haven't tried getting a beta reader I don't know and can see that it could be a real lottery - you just don't know if you're getting someone who will engage with your work.

Mark

2/13/2022 01:27:25 pm

Yes, you are very blessed to have such an in-house beta reader. many writers have to search for beta readers. To assist, I have a list of beta readers on my Twitter page. I also have lists of people who provide other services for writers. Twitter doesn't allow more than 1,000 members on lists per account. So I am continuing the lists on my backup account Mr. Word Refiner @MarklSchultz1.
Being a member of a local writers' group is another cagey move. Many pairs of fresh eyes are necessary to really polish a good manuscript into a great book.
New questions.
At what stage in your writing process do you bring in the readers?
Do you give them an e-version like a PDF or a hard copy you printed?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/13/2022 01:56:01 pm

That depends. I'd like to wait until I'm at least fairly happy with it, otherwise it doesn't feel very respectful of their time. Sometimes though I just need another pair of eyes on a particular passage - there's that 'I know this isn't working, but I can't see how to fix it' feeling that is realy only resolved by getting someone else to look at it.

For my in house reader I usually send a sharing link to the Word document. That way he can make comments and suggested changes on the latest version and I don't have to be bombarding him with 'sorry, use this one' every time I've fiddled with a sentence while he's reading it.

In our writing group, we also tend to send Word documents, but usually as an attachment rather than a shared link. Sometimes people might want to be able to make private comments, rather than things shared with the whole group.

If I was getting beta readings from people I didn't know personally I'd probably go the pdf route but really it just depends on what works for them.

Mark

2/13/2022 02:18:18 pm

Those are excellent ways to handle those comments. I think the option to keep comments private is a good one.
New questions.
What kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted?
Do you reward the alpha/beta readers in any way particular?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/13/2022 06:29:45 pm

I don't ask specific questions to my beta readers - I'd rather get what they think than try to direct their response in any way. If a passage that I'm particularly concerned about doesn't strike them either way, then that also tells me something.

So far it's always just been a reciprocal arrangement, where I'm reading their stuff as well as them reading mine, so no other reward has entered into it. I think that works well, although to be honest, I love reading other people's stuff and trying to help them improve it, so I'd happily do it if there was no reciprocation at all.

Mark

2/13/2022 06:37:58 pm

Many authors do not have such a wonderful group of beta readers who are also writers. Most of them are lucky to have one writer in a group of betas. Their group may include a family member, a person they work with or went to school with. Some are just random people they made a connection with at an event. Those writers frequently offer a signed copy of their final book as a sign of gratitude.
Reciprocity is a wonderful thing. It's nice to be helped and help in turn.
New questions.
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/14/2022 07:06:10 am

It was a reminder rather than a new revelation, but that writing is communication. If you write and don't publish it somehow, then you're not communicating with anyone, it's not doing what it's supposed to do. So I think I've learned that I was right not to hang on to the manuscript until Random House came begging to pay me a huge advance for it!

I've been mulling your second question over for a while and I honestly can't think of three things I wish I'd known at the start. Obviously there are loads of things I've learned, like the importance of pacing, that people are generally right about adverbs, that you don't have to find a synonym for 'said' every time, but I think the process of learning these was as important as the actual lesson. I tend not to have regrets, or not about the big stuff, anyway. Sorry if that sounds a bit po-faced!

Mark

2/14/2022 07:52:21 am

So true. Writing is an intimate communication form that is repeated over and over hopefully many tens of thousands of times over.
I am glad you didn't wait. RH isn't paying big advances unless you are a big name author with millions of books already sold.
No apology needed. Those are all good lessons.
The King proscription against adverbs is mostly appropriate but not 100%. Adverbs are a valid part of speech and do have a place in a manuscript. Their overuse can lead to lazy writing. I don't worry about them too much. I just have to remember they don't get hyphens, as a proofreader.
As a proofreader, I am very fond of the word said. It makes punctuation placement for the dialogue tag much easier. Is chortled really a form of speech? Can a person chortle a hello? I find action beats that replace a dialogue tag much more entertaining and they can move the story forward better.
For most writers, each book should be better than the last, there is always something new to learn.
New questions.
Do you have a hero, real or fictional?
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/14/2022 09:34:37 am

Not really one hero (or heroine) consistently, it depends on what I've been reading most recently! At the moment I've just been re-reading Marge Piercy's Fly Away Home and Gone to Soldiers, so I've been thinking about what a great activist she is as well as a great writers, so she's definitely one.

A great piece of advice I once received was about overcoming blocks. This was many years ago when I was volunteering for a political party (not saying which one). I had to write a short piece to go out to members and I was at that 'staring at a blank screen, completely stuck' stage. A senior journalist saw I was in trouble and said 'look, it doesn't have to be perfect, just bash something out.' It sounds mundane but it was that permission not to be perfect that enabled me to start, and then after all that it only took me a few minutes to get it done. I still say it to myself all the time when I'm stuck. 'Come on, just bash it out.' It works.

Mark

2/14/2022 11:53:42 am

The way you are with reading is similar to me. I do have a few favorite books from a long time ago. The current favorite is usually what I am reading right now.
That was an excellent piece of advice. I will remember it. I think I have used something quite similar in the past myself.
New questions.
You have published a number of books. You are writing more. Are you writing anything strictly for your own pleasure, not necessarily planning to publish it?
What are common traps for beginning writers?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/14/2022 12:35:42 pm

Not really. In one sense, everything I write is for pleasure, as I don't set out to write something specifically publishable - I'm not looking at the market and considering what will sell before I start writing. However, once I'm happy with what I've written, I'd always want to get it out there in some form, otherwise what's the point? At the very least, I'd put it on my own website, which is publishing in a very, very small way. Of course, there are things that don't make the cut, but that's different.

I don't know that there are common traps as such, as everyone has their own writing style. One thing I've seen though from reading and reviewing indie books is where writers are trying to fit a story and a plot into a format that doesn't work for it, whether that's trying to make a short story length idea into a novel, or compressing a novel's worth of plot into a short story. The choice of form isn't arbitrary - some ideas are best expressed in poetry, some in a short story, some in a novel - but I think that believing that it is could be one of those traps.

Mark

2/14/2022 12:59:46 pm

Many authors have responded in a similar fashion. They want to share whatever they write if it is good enough. Only a few have said they write some things that they have intended on NOT publishing. Of course, that is what we all want to read. We are attracted to the forbidden.
That is an answer I don't recall hearing. Trying to fit a given story into an unsuitable form. It seems likely to come across as fairly awkward, even uncomfortable.
Last questions.
Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?
Other than every person on earth, who do you wish would read your book?

Elaine Graham-Leigh link

2/14/2022 03:11:14 pm

There's an adage, isn't there, that you have to be able simultaneously to believe what you've written is the best and the worst thing ever written? I think that's true. You do have to have a strong enough ego to believe that anyone should read anything you've written, but enough respect for other people's opinions to take and consider criticism. So I suppose a very strong ego is both an asset and a liability, annoyingly.

I wish Ursula LeGuin could have read my book, but unfortunately I published too late for that.

Since this is the last question, I'll conclude by saying thank you very much for having me! It's been fun and I hope your readers have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Mark

2/14/2022 03:38:06 pm

Thick skin is necessary. First to ignore the trolls and the angry children who leave a one-star review without even reading the book. Those things happen to a lot of authors. Amazon won't remove those reviews most of the time.
I have told many authors that a decent, one-star review is a good thing. If nothing else, it proves that all of the glowing reviews are not the products of a parent and their friends.
Valid criticism is a valuable thing, it requires discernment to be fully appreciated.
This interview has been a real pleasure for me. you have been a fabulous guest. We barely made it halfway through my questions. So, if you wish to promote another book we can pickup right where we left off.
I wish you much success and to make your fans happy, keep on writing.

The Caduca by Elaine Graham-Leigh

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