• Blog
  • Call of the Merry Isle – Larus Series
  • Contact me
  • Mr Muggington – Free E-book
  • Quirky Romance
  • Quirky Tales Series – beautiful illustrated books

Kathy Sharp

~ The Quirky Genre

Kathy Sharp

Monthly Archives: December 2017

Why not Wisdom?

18 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by kathysharp2013 in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

barnowlThere has been much discussion recently in the Facebook group Books for Older Readers. Is this the right name for this emerging genre, we ask – and what types of books does it actually include?

Is the word older problematic or just honest? Do other words such as third-ager have an uncomfortable touch of the euphemism about them? Should the books feature older characters and tackle the issues, good and bad, that come with later life? Or should they be written by older writers?

All valid questions – so I asked a few of myself. Do I mind being called ‘older’? No, not really, it’s just a matter of fact. I could equally accept being called a ‘third-ager’ – but I understand that public perception counts for  much and that it’s important to get this right. And what kinds of books am I attracted to, as an ‘older’ reader? Well, many kinds. But I admit I feel most at ease with the work of older writers.

Don’t misunderstand me – there is nothing wrong with youthful writing, and I enjoy that, too. It often contains a freshness and vitality that time mellows out of us as we grow older. But those excellent qualities are replaced by the benefits of experience and its unfashionable side-kick, wisdom. Both often go unappreciated in a world obsessed with youth, and perhaps it is time to redress the balance a little.

Experience can be a solid counterbalance to hasty reaction, the wisdom of age saying: wait – let’s check it out before we jump on the bandwagon of praise or outrage. All may not be as it seems; experience (sometimes bitter experience) tells us this, and it informs the work of the older writer.

So, for whatever my opinion might be worth, let’s use this new genre not only to address the issues of later life, but to celebrate older writers, too. They can shine a quieter, more thoughtful light on a world absorbed with speed, progress and instant gratification. Let’s promote and cherish them.

 

A story with a young heroine – but much to say about inter-generational misunderstanding: ebook available for pre-order, paperback available now – Whales and Strange Stars

A sea captain passes through the forgotten port of Wych Ferry, and whiles away an hour relating his traveller’s tales to young Rosamund Euden. He tells her that the stars are different, if you sail far enough, that the horizon isn’t quite real, not when you get there; he speaks of sea serpents and whales, and mysterious islands. To an impressionable girl who has never left her home, the whales and strange stars of his stories come to symbolise the great outside world she longs to see. The sea captain moves on, unaware of the dramatic events he has set in action as Rosamund’s search for adventure leads her into a world of dangerous secrets in the marshlands of eighteenth century Kent. Torn between loyalty to her uncles, and her desire to discover what lies beyond the marshes, Rosamund seeks help from an unexpected source. But who can she really trust?

To be published by Crooked Cat Books, 16 January, 2018

Advertisement

An Ideal Place to Write

14 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by kathysharp2013 in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

writing

IMG_8277.JPGEvery writer needs a café. I’ve said it before. Mine is a particularly nice one in a fabulous setting – the Taste Café at the Chesil Beach. It does exactly what it says on the packaging, and I can enjoy my coffee with huge views over the Chesil and the Fleet Lagoon, part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. How lucky am I, eh? At this time of year it’s full of brent geese, waders and gulls, clearly visible through the café window. The building also houses a wildlife centre, so as you can imagine, I’m a regular visitor.

Last winter I came here to write my novel Whales and Strange Stars, and this year I have its ink-and-paper version clutched in my hand, here to have its picture taken in the place where so much of it was created. Although the book is set in the marshlands of Kent, it is also infused with essence of Dorset saltmarsh from writing in this setting.

IMG_8275The word ‘inspirational’ is bandied about a little too freely these days, but being able to sit in perfect comfort (the words ‘Kathy, would you like another coffee?’ have just been said in my ear) in such a beautiful place is surely as genuinely inspirational as it gets.

So here I am, a nice hot coffee at my elbow – and a band of redshanks trotting about and squabbling in the salty shallows as the tide ebbs just yards away on the other side of the window. Sheer bliss for the comfort-loving, nature-loving writer. I am truly blessed with the ideal place to write.

 

A beautiful novel created in a beautiful place: ebook available for pre-order, paperback available now myBook.to/WhalesAndStrangeStars

A sea captain passes through the forgotten port of Wych Ferry, and whiles away an hour relating his traveller’s tales to young Rosamund Euden. He tells her that the stars are different, if you sail far enough, that the horizon isn’t quite real, not when you get there; he speaks of sea serpents and whales, and mysterious islands. To an impressionable girl who has never left her home, the whales and strange stars of his stories come to symbolise the great outside world she longs to see. The sea captain moves on, unaware of the dramatic events he has set in action as Rosamund’s search for adventure leads her into a world of dangerous secrets in the marshlands of eighteenth century Kent. Torn between loyalty to her uncles, and her desire to discover what lies beyond the marshes, Rosamund seeks help from an unexpected source. But who can she really trust?

To be published by Crooked Cat Books, 16 January, 2018

‘Whales and Strange Stars’: review

08 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by kathysharp2013 in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

A beautifully written review for my new book Whales and Strange Stars

Judi Moore

Whales and Strange Stars: An Adventure by [Sharp, Kathy]

Kathy Sharp is a novelist well known for her three charming fantasy books set on an historical, fictionalised Isle of Portland: the Larus trilogy.

This, her latest novel, is also set in a simpler time than our own – but in a quite different place (although in it, too, water plays an important part).

Whales and Strange Stars begins with the quiet elegance of an otter slipping into the water. The story quickly gains breadth and depth and momentum as it swims downstream, urged on by deliciousness such as this ‘an empty gape draped in drab’ and this ‘The infant New Year lumbered forward unsteadily, burdened with ice and nearly knocked off its feet by strong winds’.

The book’s time is the eighteenth century and, as an historical novel, is unusual in that it does not deal with specific historical events, except for a passing reference to the king raising…

View original post 330 more words

Archives

  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • September 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Kathy Sharp
    • Join 165 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Kathy Sharp
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...