Author Ella Carey talks about Writerly Experience and Giveaway!

Please help welcome Australian debut author Ella Carey. And she's got a kindle copy giveaway of her debut release THE PARIS TIME CAPSULE to one commentater.

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 The Paris Time Capsule



Writerly Experience …

There are many benefits to working with a writing mentor, and I have been lucky enough to work with the lovely Melanie Milburne. Melanie, as many of you will know, is the award winning, multi-published writer of Harlequin Medicals and Presents novels, while I write women’s fiction.

(Read about Melanie Milburne here!)

First, and foremost, Melanie has become a wonderful friend whom I value and adore. She has a vibrant, lively personality and whenever we start talking it is as if we are both falling over ourselves with so much to say! Melanie is generous with her time and I know that she takes a real interest in many aspiring writers.

I think one of the best things for any aspiring writer is having someone who tells you that your writing has potential. Writing is a lonely business, and when an established writer can pick up a thread in your work and see that it may develop into something worthy, it gives you such a lift!

I first met Melanie seven years ago when I heard her speak. I was writing some novel that I cannot even remember now, but after Melanie’s talk, we started to chat and ultimately, Melanie took my phone number, offered to have a look at my manuscript, and then called me to invite me to have lunch with her and Felicity Roger, whom she had been mentoring as well.

This was, of course, hugely exciting for me, and it was the beginning of many such lunches, that went on for most of the afternoon and probably could have gone on all night too as we chatted so much. There were many topics covered, problems shared and wonderful writing advice dispensed by Melanie, just organically, as things came up in the conversation.

Melanie would read my work and give me feedback. This was enormously helpful, in many ways, in terms of developing stronger characters, structure, building in conflict, and also just helping with the nuts and bolts of writing, and conventions with regards to presenting manuscripts.

Melanie and I have attended several conferences together. These have been special for me, because as well as having the opportunity to spend time with her and with other writers, sharing new ideas with your mentor and then discussing them really can move your writing in directions that are unexpected and wonderful.

I have spent hours and hours refining my own work, studying writing craft, to be honest I have avoided putting my work out there until I felt I was ready with ‘The Paris Time Capsule.’ One piece of advice Melanie gave me was that it was better to wait until you are really ready and think that you can produce something that is your very best.

Then, Melanie kindly offered me the opportunity to write a story alongside her own for the ‘Review of Australian Fiction.’ So, my first experience of publication was alongside my mentor! I would say that was a fabulous thing!


Now, I know I have a writerly friend who is honest and supportive, whom I look forward to spending more time with over the years, and who I know is always there on the end of the phone. I hope that Melanie feels she has exactly the same thing in me!

If you want to ask any specific question about the experience of writing mentors, please feel free to ask Ella!


Inspired by the true story of an apartment in Paris that was abandoned for seventy years. The owner fled Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion in 1940 … but why did she never return? 
New York photographer Cat Jordan has fought hard to free herself from the past, but when a stranger dies, Cat finds herself the sole inheritor of a treasure filled apartment in Paris that has been locked up and abandoned for seventy years. A stash of love letters belonging to Marthe de Florian, one of the Belle Époque’s most famous demimondaines, and the appearance of the mysterious Isabelle de Florian’s grandson leads Cat in search of the reasons why Isabelle kept her Paris apartment a secret, and why she left her entire estate to Cat. As Cat unravels the story, she too begins her own journey, realizing that the secrets in the apartment may finally unfasten the future.

Praise for Ella Carey:

"Ella Carey creates an almost impossibly romantic atmosphere."Rachel Edwards, Review of Australian Fiction.

I am so looking forward to the release of The Paris Time-Capsule. Ella Carey is one of the most talented writers I have ever worked with. Roll on release day!'Melanie Milburne, USA Today best selling author

For more information please visit www.theparistimecapsule.com 

Read Reviews 


BUY LINKS:

Amazon UK        Australia
 India      New Zealand 


US and rest of the world      Amazon US

Enter this Goodreads giveaway...




Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey

The Paris Time Capsule

by Ella Carey

Giveaway ends April 30, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win




37 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had an amazing mentor! And I've seen some pictures of that apartment in Paris--what a great subject for a book!

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    1. Hi Meradeth, Thank you! Melanie is amazing, always looking to perfect her own work, which is inspiring to others. Thanks for your thoughts about that apartment - I was hooked from the moment I saw the pictures! x

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  2. Conferences are always so much more fun when you can attend them with someone cool. :)

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    1. Hi there Suze, oh, it makes a huge difference - so fabulous to have someone with whom to share it all and then to be able to discuss new ideas afterwards helps you gain so much more out of these things! :)

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  3. All writers need a writer friend like that. :)

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    1. So true, Cherie. I agree; and you know it doesn't matter if you are not writing exactly the same type of novel. I think in a way that it can be a good thing writing your own unique style while your mentor has their own type of work - it broadens discussion, and makes you consider different perspectives. x

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  4. Hi Ella! Hi Kelly! What a lovely post. How I'd love a mentor like Melanie! How fortuitous the way it fell into place for you Ella. I love how you say you were writing a novel and can't even remember what it was...ha ha...I have a few on the go and had no interest in submitting until I could do no more with it.

    I'm currently reading The Paris Time Capsule, and it has me turning the pages, so very well done. The lush paintings/pictures have me swooning. Anything set in Paris gets my vote, so I hope you do extra well with your debut!!!

    Looking forward to your guesting on my blog on May 1st!

    Denise

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    1. Hello Denise! Thanks so much for calling in and lovely to see you here. I am so thrilled you are enjoying the novel! Swooning is good - and what better place to swoon than in Paris! Looking forward to chatting further on your blog, especially since it sounds like you are a kindred Francophile! xx

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  5. What a wonderful post! I've been lucky to work with crit buddies who are several steps ahead of me in the process. They're wonderful!

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    1. Hi Jemi, that sounds great. Having someone who can critique your work is always a good thing. I find it interesting that sometimes I am so involved in my work that when something is niggling me about it and I am not sure what the niggle is, often someone else will be able to see what the problem is, then I can see straight away what I need to do. These friends are invaluable. x

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  6. Hi Ella,
    I feel like a proud mother! It is so wonderful to see your work in print. This will be the first of many wonderful books, I am sure.

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  7. Hi Ella

    Melanie is such a lovely Lady I have met her on a few occaisions and I love her stories and I have to say I have just finished reading your story and WOW I read it in a day I couldn't put it down such a magical wonderful story thank you very much for hours of reading pleasure :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Thank you Helen! I am so pleased, that is just wonderful. Melanie is a lovely person. I can't put Melanie's books down once I start reading them, it's a lost cause! xxx

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  8. Historicals are so hard - all that research to do! I totally admire people who write them. Wishing Ella much success!

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    1. Hi Lexa, Thank you for your thoughts. I know what you mean. I used to think the same way. I love history but it can be daunting thinking about re-creating the past. 'The Paris Time Capsule' is set in the present, but there are aspects of it that are set in the past ... I love doing the research; I think one thing that is getting the balance right, in terms of not overwhelming the reader with facts, but weaving the past into the story in a way that you hope adds something, rather than pulls you out of the story. I know what you mean ... thanks! x

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  9. Congrats and best of luck to Ella!

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  10. Hi Kelly - thanks for coming over to the blog - good to meet you. The story line of the hidden treasure in the Paris apartment sounds a great way to unravel a story line .. I too would love to read Ella's book - I enjoy Paris' history and learning more as I go .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi Hilary, lovely to see you here! Great to meet someone who enjoys Paris. The original story had much inspiration, so it was a pleasure to write the novel, thank you!

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  11. Mentors are great. I've worked with one and really enjoyed the experience.

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    1. Hi Kelly, I agree. I think if someone is happy to share their knowledge and experience, and take you under their wing, then it is just wonderful. Thanks for calling in!

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  12. I see this is also available in paperback which is good news for someone like me who loves historical fiction but doesn't do digital.

    Great post, thank you.

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    1. Thanks Tracy. So pleased you enjoyed the post. Several of my friends don't do digital either! There are some benefits with the print edition - there is a view of Paris on the back, vintage perfume bottles ... and an assortment of faded letters tied in a silk ribbon. x

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  13. One thing I hate about attending conferences is going alone. I loved it when my mom and I both attended all the RWA stuff together, but she isn't writing so much anymore and I write children's fiction now, so it's SCBWI. Still, a writing buddy would make conferences much better!

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    1. Hi Stephanie, I love that you attended writing conferences with your mom! In many ways, having a great mentor is like a having a wonderful mother/daughter relationship. Melanie never hindered me from finding my own way, my own style. Sounds like your mom has done the same for you. Lovely to see you here, x

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  14. That is so awesome! Mentors are priceless--just for the boost they give you. I was broken hearted to learn that one of mine recently had her publisher go out of business. Talk about sad, right? This is the part where I get to give back, in sending her to my soft contacts for other potential contracts or opportunities. You never know when your giving will come back as a blessing.

    True Heroes from A to Z

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    1. Hi Crystal! I think you have hit the nail on the head in terms of what I'm thinking too. I would love to be able to give something back to Melanie in the future. I'm sorry to hear about your mentor, though. So nice that you could share contacts etc. x

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  15. Melanie sounds like a lovely person. I'm glad you have her as a friend!

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    1. Thank you Sherry. It is wonderful to have had a mentoring relationship turn into a friendship. I think from the first meeting with Melanie I knew she was going to be a friend, so that was doubly great!

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  16. What a wonderful post! Melanie sounds like a lovely lady. You are very lucky to have each other as friends.

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  17. Thanks Barbara! Yes, it is lucky, so great to have support both as writers and friends. :)

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  18. What a great post! So wonderful to find a mentor and friend. :) I am very much looking forward to reading The Paris Time Capsule. I was fascinated by the apartment that I saw on the news and I am curious about this time period as well. Wishing Ella the best of luck!
    ~Jess

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  19. Thanks so much Jess! I am so pleased that you are looking forward to reading The Paris Time Capsule! The apartment was fascinating; mysterious and beautiful. The time periods in the novel are a bit alluring. I feel so much that I need to go back to Paris again, and just wander around the ninth arrondissement - I'm going to blog about the street in which I set the apartment. I saw a building there and I knew that was ... it (as a fictional setting.)

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  20. Congratulations, Ella, on your book. I too look forward to reading it.

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  21. Thanks Maria! I am so pleased. x

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  22. Congratulations to Stephanie Faris! You won the giveaway of The Paris Time Capsule! Please shoot me email at nas_dean@ymail.com

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