Susan Jones – Writer

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Hello, and welcome to my website ~ here you will get a view on my books and life as a published author. It’s been a long journey to getting here ~ finally I am now writing full time and hope you enjoy what you find here. If you want to get in touch, follow the links, and I’ll get back to you soon.

Susan Jones writes romantic drama with a touch of humour, and historical sagas as Lydia King. She lives in North Warwickshire, and loves walking through the beautiful woodlands where she lives, and gardening and reading are her pastimes.

People’s Friend Autumn Fiction.

Today I bought the People’s Friend Autumn Fiction.  Full of lovely stories.  Reading down the list of titles and authors I noticed Pat Posner, who’s blog link is on my list, that was the one I read first.  Cream tea Tuesday is such a fabulous story, it makes me realise why mine haven’t been accepted by People’s Friend yet, I’ve sent quite a few, but I’ll get the formula right one day.  It’s a great magazine that I’m looking forward to reading with my feet up on the settee.  Well done Pat on creating a real good start to Autumn reading.

 

 

Recently I submitted a story to Cafelit website.  The one where you have to write a story about a drink.  After three edits and lots of help from Debz Hobbs-Wyatt it’s ready to be published.  Will let you know when, it’s ended up a story that I’m really proud of.  I’ve got quite attatched to the characters, and I feel the need to write more on how they came to that point in their lives.  I will definately use the editing services of Debz to help with stories in the future, and here’s the link to take a look at more of what she does.

http://debzhobbs-wyatt.co.uk/CritiquingService.aspx

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16 responses to “People’s Friend Autumn Fiction.”

  1. healthpsychologyconsultancy Avatar
    healthpsychologyconsultancy

    Keep writing those stories to People’s Friend, Susan – you will get it in there!

    Reply
  2. debutnovelist Avatar
    debutnovelist

    Hello Susan
    Just picked up on your People’s Friend post as I’m preparing something to submit right now. Like you hoping I’ll eventually hit the spot.
    Enjoyed exploring your site.
    Regards
    AliB

    Reply
    1. susanjanejones Avatar
      susanjanejones

      Hi AliB, Great to hear from you. Good luck, keep writing and reading. We’ll do it together…

      Reply
  3. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Thanks for your encouragement Nicola, I will keep trying.

    Reply
  4. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    I find the People’s Friend style so hard and have given up on them for now. I’m far too tempted to put a ghost or a murder in my stories, which is of course a real no-no. Pat’s stories are just perfect and congrats to her!

    Glad you found Debz helpful, and good luck with your stories – keep on going!

    Reply
  5. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Thanks Amanda, I’m not sure why I’m so persistent on keep sending to People’s Friend. I think it’s because I love the nostalgia with the stories. Yours are brilliant, and the last one I read, the victim deserved to be drowned in the boating lake. Keep on with yours as well. Congrats on the 21st being sold. I tried to comment on your blog, but got cut off. Talk soon. Has the Best of British published your piece on your Dad yet?

    Reply
  6. Pat Posner Avatar
    Pat Posner

    Hi, Suz
    Thank you so much for your kind words about Cream-tea Tuesdays (and Mandy’s comment, too)! You must persevere with stories for PF, the eds are so lovely and very helpful as well.
    Suz, I know what you mean about getting attached to characters and wanting to write more about them. Hopefully, some of my Cresslethwaite characters will be making another appearance.
    Way way back on my blog – 4th August 2008 – I showed a pictorial map I made for a novel I was writing. The novel didn’t make it but I’ve used the setting for Cresslethwaite. At one time you could click on the pics and enlarge them, that function doesn’t seem to work now.
    It’s fun making an area to people with characters for short stories.

    Reply
  7. Patsy Collins (@PatsyCollins) Avatar
    Patsy Collins (@PatsyCollins)

    Congratulations of your Cafelit acceptance. I look forward to reading the story when it’s published.

    Reply
  8. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Hi Pat,
    Your story was one of those that I read, then I have to hold the magazine up to disguise the tears creeping down my cheeks. So lovely, just wonderful. I want to live in Cresslethwaite.

    Reply
  9. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Hi Patsy,
    It took some editing, I think I have the hang of showing and not telling now. That Candis one is a bad example of tell not show, but sometimes we need to tell if we can’t show don’t you think? Viewpoint was my downfall, switching from one character to another, but finally it’s up to scratch. Will let you know as soon as it’s on there.

    Reply
  10. Gail Crane Avatar
    Gail Crane

    Keep trying, Susan. As Pat says, the PF is a lovely mag to work for. They really value their writers and the editors are very helpful. And – of course – they publish an awful lot of stories!

    Reply
  11. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Hi Gail,
    Thanks for your encouragement. I will keep trying. Reading the stories helps, some are better than others. I love the atmosphere and gentle pace that most stories contain. Most of the stories transport you to a comfort zone, similar to the P.G. Wodehouse novels that I like. I’m sure that one day I’ll have a story published in P.F. The last one I sent, I thought it was the bees knees, then on reading it back – later, I had a monk who didn’t want to show children round his monastry, one child escaped and get drunk on the mead down the cellar, and I wondered why People’s Friend didn’t accept it!!! Ooops, not exactly what they wanted.

    Reply
  12. Rosemary Gemmell Avatar
    Rosemary Gemmell

    PF is so difficult to get right, isn’t it? One of my writing friends has the first episode of her first PF serial published in the September 17th issue. Good luck with your Cafelit story!

    Reply
  13. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    Thanks Rosemary, I think I’ve got that issue, I’m off to have a look now. I spend too much time dooding around on twitter and blog sites, they’re good fun though aren’t they?

    Reply
  14. Patsy Collins Avatar
    Patsy Collins

    Suzy, I agree that sometimes we do need to tell instead of to show. I suppose the trick is in chosing which way will be best to give the information, not just going for the easiest option.

    Reply
  15. susanjanejones Avatar
    susanjanejones

    You’re right there Patsy, I read lots of stories where some back information is needed and I don’t mind a bit of telling, for instance if it’s happened long ago, it would be impossible to show, but as you say, there is a good way or a better way to put that information to the reader. Thanks for commenting.

    Reply

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