'My childhood dream has come true': Meet best-selling author Caroline James | & he's back!
Opportunities include The News Movement summer internship, 2024 World Congress and Media Innovation Festival, Hay on Wye festival, Women in journalism IWD event, The Guardian work experience & more.
Hi, I’m Nicola, a writer and journalist based in the North West of England. If you are new here welcome to Write Reject Repeat and thanks so much for subscribing - if not please do - no spam I promise. Every subscription gives me a boost and there have been quite a few of you this week so thankyou. Every week you can expect little chat and oversharing, wise advice from brilliant guests and a regular lowdown on opportunities and events for authors and journalists. This week it’s a bumper edition. I start every newsletter with..
My dear wordsmiths,
I know the question at the forefront of all of your minds is what the heck happened to Mr PheasantMcPheasantface? He’s an actual pheasant if you are new here - it’s not a nickname for my husband. The reality is I haven’t mentioned the gloriously plumed but not particularly bright* bird or his ever-changing gaggle of lady friends recently for a reason.
The fact is I was a bit worried he was missing and hoping he hadn’t fallen victim to the country roads with their national speed limits and high ratio of tractors or a farmer practicing their shot. It’s not uncommon to see a flat pheasant sadly as they seem to see cars as a challenge they can out wit (see *)
But no! The bird food thief remains alive and well - thriving in fact. He returned triumphant at the weekend with his new family of NINE healthy pheasant teenagers (pheenagers?) in tow. The progeny all landed next door in the first sheep field where they proceeded to peck at the ground for hours at a time, eating all the food left for the pregnant ewes.
Meanwhile, daddy McPheasantFace watched proudly at a safe distance from a nearby fence, like the great provider. Let’s hope he still has nine children when he returns. One thing I have learned living in the countryside is don’t get too attached - the lambs we once named in the field as adorable newborns were later offered back to us for the freezer. Strangely enough - I don’t eat lamb.
This week I have a treat in store. The amazing Caroline James is our special guest so listen carefully authors-in-training as she really knows what she is talking about. Obviously I’m slightly biased as she also lives in Lancashire (good choice) though she’s brave for swimming in the local lake! Also she’s the first writer featured whose workplace of choice is a large twin-axle caravan of the touring variety. I would love that though mine would have to be parked permanently next to the edge of a lake in Cumbria, far far away from distraction, and packed with tea bags and salt n’vinegar crisps.
What’s your dream writing nook?
Meet.. Author Caroline James
“I began gluing my rear to a chair and fingers to a keyboard at every opportunity, early mornings and late nights, until I had a completed manuscript”
Caroline James
Caroline James always wanted to write, but instead of taking a literary route, followed a career in the hospitality industry, which included owning a pub and a beautiful country house hotel. She was also a media agent representing celebrity chefs. When she finally began to write, the words flowed, and several novels later, she has gained many bestseller badges for her books.
She likes to write in Venus, her holiday home on wheels and in her spare time, walks with Fred, her Westie, or swims in a local lake. Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, SOA, ARRA and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists. She is also a speaker with many amusing talks heard by a variety of audiences, including cruise ship guests.
“Writing has given me the happiest time of my life.” Caroline James
Who?
I’m Caroline James, and I write romantic comedies. My latest novel is The Cruise, an Amazon Top Ten Bestseller. I currently live in lovely Lancashire, having married a Lancashire lad five years ago. I was born in Cheshire and have travelled around in the interim years.
What?
I yearned to write novels early on, and my childhood dream was to become a writer. I went to an all-girls grammar school in Cheshire but despite my two elder sisters loving this school, for me, it was hateful, and I was bullied. My teachers said I wasn’t clever enough to be an author, so my career went in an entirely different direction. College in Bournemouth led to working in a five-star hotel in London, then a job with lots of international travel, including an American company that flew me to New York on Concorde. I’ll never forget the Concorde experience as I developed chronic food poisoning from the canapes and thought I was going to die.
Where?
My first marriage to a Bajan, whom I met in London, didn’t last, but it gave me a love of the Caribbean, which often features in my books. The Cruise was inspired when I was a guest speaker on a Fred Olsen Cruise. I met so many eclectic passengers that I knew a ship was an excellent setting for a novel. The novel has prompted mail from holidaymakers either on a cruise or telling me that the book inspired them to go cruising. One reader said they were on a Mediterranean cruise, and everyone on the sundeck was reading The Cruise. It made my day.
What?
My career was in hospitality, and my writing life started in my early fifties. A story had been in my head for years, but I was running a business, had a busy life, and constantly made excuses not to write. Deciding that I didn’t want to die wondering if I could put a novel together, I began gluing my rear to a chair and fingers to a keyboard at every opportunity, early mornings and late nights, until I had a completed manuscript. Over eighty rejections later from agents and publishers, I decided to self-publish. Within a week, the eBook went to #3 in Women’s Fiction on Amazon and was eBook of the Week in The Sun Newspaper. My writing life had begun. I have been self-published and traditionally published and am now writing for One More Chapter (Harper Collins UK).
I like to write about older characters having fun in later life. Although my genre is rom-com, I tackle complex subjects and the power of friendship, and I hope my readers experience a funny, roller-coaster ride and always a happy ending. Seven years ago, I experienced a breakdown and took time to write The Best Boomerville Hotel. The process was healing, and the story used a hotel I owned in Cumbria as a fictional setting. One reviewer described the novel as ‘Britain’s answer to the Marigold Hotel.’ If I owned the hotel today, I would turn it into a retreat for those ‘of a certain age.’ Like my characters, what fun we’d have!
My next novel, The French Cookery School, is a story inspired by a week spent in the Charente, for a cookery course, when I was an agent representing celebrity chefs. The host invited me on a press trip with eminent journalists, and we discovered the magical setting of an old farmhouse, formerly the boyhood home of President Francois Mitterrand. This enchanting time stayed with me, and I knew it would be the perfect setting for a novel. It is a love story, with escapades aplenty for the characters who get together for an unforgettable holiday.
Why?
Writing has given me the happiest time of my life. I am lucky enough to do this full-time and can never imagine retiring. I feel energised by the people I meet and the places I research for my stories. My childhood dream has come true, and I’d love to be able to say to my grammar school teachers who told me I would never be an author, ‘Just look at me now…’
What do you like to read?
I read all genres, up to three books a week and one on Audible.
Recent reads - Solid five stars go to:
Before My Actual Heart breaks – Trish Delaney
The Dubrovnik Book Club – Eva Glyn
Night train to Marrakech – Dinah Jeffries
I’m about to start:
The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey
Can’t wait for:
Scandalous Women – Gill Paul
Favourite go-to read:
The Drifters – James A Michener ( I left home at sixteen after reading this!)
AudibleThe Last Mrs Parish – Liv Constantine
How to find Caroline:
You can buy The Cruise HERE
X (Twitter): @CarolineJames12
Facebook: Caroline James Author
Insta: Caroline James Author
Wow, how inspiring! Many thanks to Caroline.
Events and opportunities for authors and journalists:
4 x Journalism opportunities/events
Women in Journalism (IWD) event: What war does to women, an International Women's Day event, will be hosted free online by Women In Journalism on Thursday March 7 at 1pm. 2023 was the deadliest year in a decade for journalists working in conflict zones, with killings almost doubling compared to the past three years. The event will look at specific concerns and increased risks for female journalists in hostile environments.
Guests speakers include Christina Lamb, Senior Foreign Correspondent for the Sunday Times, who has written extensively about the impact of sexual violence against women in war zones; Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor at Sky News and by Hind Hassan, international correspondent for VICE News. The discussion will be moderated by the journalist and broadcaster Barbara Serra and introduced by WiJ chair Rachel Corp. You can register via above link.
The News Movement summer internship (London): The News Movement is a Gen Z focused news brand creating content to help people fight misinformation and navigate a world based on facts. Interns will join the newsroom editorial team generating ideas and producing content -this might involve working in the newsroom, or heading out to gather stories and meet people.
Please note the opportunity is only open to individuals from a group that is under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled people, those undergoing gender reassignment / transitioning and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. You will be paid a London living wage.
2024 World Congress and Media Innovation Festival (IPI): Journalists worldwide can attend a media innovation event in Sarajevo. The International Press Institute (IPI) is hosting the 2024 World Congress and Media Innovation Festival under the theme “Navigating Crises: Journalism at a Turning Point.”
It is an event designed to bring journalists together to explore new solutions, foster understanding and critically examine the role of the media in addressing the great crises of our time. The two day event, to be held May 22 to 24., will address the importance of innovation and why local news is indispensable in times of crisis, news avoidance, revolutions in business models, and more.
The Guardian & Observer Positive Action Scheme 2024 (work experience) : The London office is running a work shadowing scheme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic aspiring journalists to work across multiple editorial departments. Up to 10 placements in total are offered, each initially for two weeks over the summer (July-September). You'll learn about different aspects of the profession across a range of departments; shadow journalists & assist editors with research tasks and have a chance to pitch story ideas.
To be considered for a placement you must be at least 18 years old, with the right to work or train in the UK, and be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in journalism. For applicants who have no access to accommodation in London, the Sarah Hughes Trust has offered to provide a small number of grants.
4 x Books and writing opportunities/events
Hay on Wye festival free schools programme: Hay Festival Global has announced the free schools programme to open the spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, which takes place 23 May-2 June 2024. The schools programme brings together writers and young readers for a series of inspiring interactive activities and conversations in person and online with support from the Welsh Government and the Rothschild Foundation. Sessions will also be streamed free online, with closed captioning available in Welsh and English at hayfestival.org/schools, and available free after the event on Hay Festival Anytime at hayfestival.org/anytime (formerly Hay Player).
KS2 events on Thursday 23 May include writers Maz Evans, Katie & Kevin Tsang, Connor Allen, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, MG Leonard, Kiran Millwood- Hargrave, Lee Newbery, Jeff Kinney, Matt Goodfellow, Adam Rutherford, Tọlá Okogwu and Children's Laureate Wales 2023-2025 Alex Wharton.
KS3/4 events on Friday 24 May feature writers Alex Wheatle, Jenny Valentine, Sarah Crossan, Phil Earle, Aneirin Karadog, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Nicola Garrard, AM Dassu, Anthony Horowitz, Daniel Morden, Frances Hardinge and Manon Steffan Ros. Plus, a live recording of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row will spotlight the power of literature in front of an audience of pupils.
The Indie Pride Book Con, Blackpool: The first Indie Pride Book Con will be held at the Village Hotel in Blackpool on Saturday March 23. More than 80 authors from across the globe will attend. All proceeds from the event will be donated charity Mind Out. Link to book via Eventbrite (linked above). You can also look up the reader group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/indiepridebookcon
World Book Day - Author talk and book signing with Venessa Taylor at Oldham Library: Winner of The People’s Book Prize for Children’s Literature 2021, Venessa Taylor, will be talking and and signing books to celebrate World Book Day. She'll also copies of her books available to buy on the day. Perfect for five pluses, this event is for all the family and will be held on Thursday March 7 at 4pm.
(THIS WEEKEND) Bay Tales Live literary festival: Bay Tales Live, at Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, will return for its third literary festival March 1-3. Focus on crime fiction, with 2023’s line-up including more than 15 of the UK’s bestselling crime and mystery writers. Taking at Whitley Bay Playhouse and venues nearby. Email baytales20@gmail.com for a ticket.
Wow that was a long one - high five if you got to the end of this newsletter and I hope you found it entertaining/helpful/useful. Let me know if you want to participate in the Q&A - don’t be shy! Thanks so much as always and please, encourage all your writer-ish friends to subscribe! Have a lovely week, Nicola