Melody Mayhem with Richard Tearle

Today, I am delighted to have, Richard Tearle visiting PBHQ. Richard’s debut novel, short stories, was published earlier this year and his second, published in December 2020. Richard is going to share what inspired him to write.  So, please help yourself to a glass of bubbly, settle down on a comfortable seat and meet my lovely guest.

First of all, thank you Pauline for inviting me onto your Blog.

Melody Mayhem was my first properly published work and it came about in a rather strange and circuitous way. 

I had been reviewing Historical Fiction for Helen Hollick's Blog, Discovering Diamonds and at the end of our first year, she invited me, along with the other reviewers, to submit a short story on the subject of Diamonds. I was thrilled that it was accepted given the calibre of many of the reviewers. The following year, the subject changed to 'Stories inspired by a song' and this has stayed constant since then.

The whole process and the feedback was a tremendous boost for me as I had never written seriously before this. I didn't think too much on it apart from realising that I had caught the writing bug. But a meeting between Helen and her friend, Barbara Gaskell Denvil ended up with Barbara's daughter offering to publish my stories in a book. I was totally caught on the hop as I only had written a few other than those already published.

I went through the agonies that I think every new author suffers – the editing, proof reading, rewrites etc. – and the book eventually came out in May 2020.

By now I was writing many more stories and also had one accepted for an anthology of stories about Richard III, Right Trusty and Well Beloved, and this was published around the same time. It's one thing to have your book delivered directly to you Kindle, but quite another to have an actual Paperback version in your hands!

I don't write in any particular genre (apart from the fact that they are short stories), though historical fiction is largely my favourite reading material. Inspiration comes from a number of sources: one story tells the legend of the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire whilst another is about my favourite football team, Tottenham Hotspur. I believe in diversity!

I try to create an atmosphere when I am writing but more importantly, I try and choose my locations and include things like street names, shops or pubs. I want people who know the area to recognise it.

Short stories often end with a hook: a single sentence can sometimes make the entire story become clearer or can explain what has been hinted at. First lines are also important. Something short and snappy that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read on or something that immediately sets the time and place.

My second anthology, Melody Mayhem: 2^nd Movement was published in December 2020 (so the entire year wasn't a complete wash-out!) and has more stories, dealing with ghosts, immortality and, yes, another football story.

In the meantime, I have been working on a novella called The North Finchley Writers' Group. In Melody Mayhem, I included a story about such a group and used some of the characters and the situation to expand it. Other writers may well recognise some of the discussions and situations that my characters encounter as well as the personal relationships they go through. They will not, however, recognise any of the individuals because I was extra careful with the names and characterisations! Readers who know the area will definitely recognise it; I grew up there and it is dear to my heart. This is due to be published at sometime during the opening months of 2021.

What can I say about myself that might be interesting? I grew up in the late 1950s and 60s and my love of music reflects that. Most of my working life has been in offices, firstly on the fringes of the music industry and later I spent the last 18 years before retirement as a very Civil Servant.

I am divorced and have 4 children – one boy and three girls – and they have provided me with four wonderful grandchildren. Oddly enough, in the same ratio. Though I love to travel it has been limited to the United Kingdom and I have totally fallen in love with Scotland where one of my daughters lives. I currently live in the historic city of Lichfield with a cat called Dickens.

Links

 Melody Mayhem

viewbook.at/MelodyMayhem

Melody Mayhem: 2^nd Movement

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08PXD24SX/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607505392&sr=8-2

Previously unpublished short stories appear on my own Blog on the first Sunday of every month:

https://scrapsandscribblings.blogspot.com/p/stories.html

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/